A Yami's Host
by lizabeyy
Summary: It's never too early for revenge. And what better than to bring back the dark RPG? Yami Bakura's plan is going along perfectly... Now he just has to decide which is more annoying between the mage or pharaoh. Tendershipping, fanmade pairing: Pawnshipping
1. A Yami's Host

Ryou Bakura sat quietly at his desk, paper and pencil at hand, ignoring the calls of "friends" to join them.

As he sent marks all over the paper, he closed his eyes and his mind brought him to what seemed like a dark room.

* * *

><p>It was very cold, damp, and there wasn't a single existence of light.<p>

Ryou simply sat there.

Fearful and wanting to escape the darkness, but couldn't be bothered to move.

It was as if something was weighing him down and preventing him to leave.

Preventing him from opening his eyes.

The floor was wet.

Maybe more than just wet.

There was water up to Ryou's knees.

He hadn't noticed it before.

The water seemed to just appear out of no where.

"Where did this...?" He pulled his arm out of the water and tried to get a good look of the room.

This failed, as it was completely dark.

Ryou gasped when he realized what was going on.

In truth, Ryou was afraid of water.

Lately, it seemed as if everything scared him.

To his horror, the water was rising.

He made an attempt to move.

To be able to run away, or even just to stand up so he wasn't right in the water.

His body refused his request.

His legs wouldn't move a muscle.

He would have screamed, but of course no one could hear him.

After all, wasn't he the only one there?

"Ah..." Ryou mumbled, "Someone... Please help me!"

Deep inside he knew there was no point in even speaking.

Water raised up to about half-way up his arms and the boy felt a panicked feeling consume him.

He struggled to pull himself up, with no success, of course.

"Someone, please!" he shrieked. "Please, stop this. Someone! I beg of you!"

Ryou continued to call for help, but no help came. No one else was there.

So why did he think anyone would help him?

Why did it feel like that there was someone else in the room?

Someone who watched his pain, enjoying every second of it...

Water rose to his chest.

It didn't help much that he was crying.

As strange as it sounds, the tears hitting the water made it rise quicker.

Why was Ryou even dreaming about such a thing?

This nightmare seemed so real...

Ryou almost forgot what he was doing in the real world.

A picture.

He was drawing a picture.

A picture of him, and someone else.

Someone who was really special to him.

Someone who meant the world to him.

But who was it?

He wasn't even sure if he knew the answer to that when he even started the picture...

He could remember his sister.

He wasn't quite sure why, but she was the first thing he thought about.

Actually, that was a lie. He couldn't remember her much at all.

It had been such a long time since he had written to her.

Back then, it didn't seem weird at all to write letters to dead people.

He wanted to think about her.

He thought so hard about her.

However, no matter how hard he tried, nothing came.

He couldn't even remember what she looked like.

Ryou didn't know what else to do.

He screamed out with flooding tears.

Agonizing tears.

Tears that burned his cheeks as they drifted heavily down his face.

Not long after, the water consumed him.

* * *

><p>Ryou awoke.<p>

Something he wasn't sure would happen for about five minutes.

Maybe less than that.

Maybe more.

He was completely dry, with no evidence that he had ever drowned.

Had any of that even happened?

Of course not.

After all, this was just a dream.

Wasn't it?

He was laying down, curled up on a hard floor.

This place was completely different from the last.

It was still very dark, but there was a more comforting feel about this place.

"About time you woke up."

Ryou flinched.

Awkwardly sitting up, he was grateful to be able to move again.

The Millennium Ring, which swayed around his neck, glowed brightly and two candle flames burned, allowing him to see.

In front of him was a long, velvet throne.

Lounging in the throne was a man.

A man who was identical to him in every way.

Well, almost every way, besides obvious differences.

The evil spirit looked down upon his host with a smirk.

"...D-Did you fill the room with water?" Popped out of Ryou's mouth before any other thought.

He would have asked who that person even was.

It wasn't him, that was for sure.

But for some reason, Ryou couldn't be bothered asking.

He already knew. Yet at the same time, he was completely confused.

He had met this man before, yet he had never even seen him.

The spirit of the Millennium Ring, Yami Bakura, laughed in amusement. "Me? Why would you blame me? I wasn't even there!"

"You... Weren't?"

"Of course not!" Yami cackled, "That was all you."

Ryou gasped, "M-Me? Why would I-?"

"It's your dream, fool." Yami interrupted, "You were consumed by a nightmare and you asked me to save you."

Despite the spirit's negative energy, Ryou felt much more calm, much happier, after hearing these words. "You mean... You heard my calls?" He smiled.

Yami looked down at him.

Ryou began to giggle, which turned into a loud, wild laugh.

He banged his head forward, into the stone floor.

He sat up, his head cracked wide open.

"...Ouch." Even despite the injury, he was still smiling and laughing.

Yami, himself, began to chuckle along with his host.

He appeared right in front of Ryou, not that the action was unwelcomed.

Ryou embraced his darker self, tightly, as he appeared.

"Thank-you for saving me, Yami!" He sang out, cheerfully.

The spirit wasn't truly as happy as he was, in fact Ryou's actions annoyed him.

In truth, Yami wasn't fond of the boy at all.

He actually somewhat hated him.

He hated him being in control, something he could easily fix for as long as Ryou trusted him.

The yami had taken possession of Ryou before, many times.

Though lately, it was as if he had begun to fight back.

Ryou was naturally a clueless type of person, but he wasn't stupid.

Even someone like him could figure it out.

And so, Yami felt he had to act fast, before he'd lose his host for good.

Yami took hold of the boy's hand, and pulled him over to his throne.

He put out a hand to the seat a grinned. "Care for a seat?" He offered.

Ryou smiled sweetly. "Yes, thank-you!"

He sat down, and got comfortable.

After being on the cold floor for what felt like hours, sitting down in a soft chair fit for a king felt wonderful.

"You know, Ryou..." Yami smirked, "There are two kinds of people out there."

"Hm?" His words caught the boy's attention. "Two kinds of people? Whatever do you mean?"

"I think this should be an easy one." Yami continued to speak, "Those who are in control."

"...Those who are in control?" Ryou swung his feet around as he looked up at the spirit, full of interest. "In control of what?"

"Everything. There are people who are in control of their lives, and there are those who aren't." Yami began to paste around back and fourth in front of Ryou, quickly. "There are good, and respected people, or people who receive nothing but hatred. From family. Friends."

"What does this have to do with me?"

Yami turned to face him with a smirk, "There are those who find new troubles wherever they go."

He pulled out a hair from Ryou's head.

"Ouch!"

"...And then," Yami leaned against the throne, "There are those who simply deserve to be punished."

With that, the spirit struck him across the cheek.

Ryou, caught completely off guard by the assault, stared at his yami in complete shock. "W-Why did you?"

Yami ignored him. "Then, there are people out there who have things all figured out. People who, even in the face of torture, are always faithful. They know that 'good' will come out from anything for as long as they believe."

He took out a wet rag and wiped it over the spot where he hit the boy. The cold cloth felt nice on Ryou's skin, and he felt calm once more. "...People who believe lies."

Yami grinned and pulled the rag away so quickly, it left Ryou with a burn.

"There are people... Who have no problems at all. They have everything they could ever want or need. People who are always helpful to the community. They appear to always be there. It's these kinds of people who receive glory. Glory, attention, love, obsession." Yami kneeled down on the floor, as if to worship Ryou. "However, it's these people who live the biggest lie of all."

"There are some people out there... Who have absolutely nothing. Nothing. Not even someone to hold them when they cry and encourage them."

Yami grabbed hold of Ryou's head, which, to Ryou, felt like his brain was being squished.

Yami kissed the young host on the forehead, as if he was a parent tucking his child in for bed.

Ryou became awkwardly quiet as soon as Yami moved away from him.

Yami chuckled, "Even if they are honest and kind, these people often fall to the depression of loneliness. Sadness leads to anger, which can lead to just about anything... Some of these people turn to my kind. Just like what you did." A hint of laughter escaped from the spirit's lips. "Ryou... Your life is a pathetic mess, I'm sorry to say."

"H-Huh?"

"Think about it... Your sister is dead, your father brought you the ring, which cursed you with me... And I'm not so sure if anyone even knows your name."

"O-Oh..." Ryou sighed, sadly.

"I do know a way to make things... The way they should be," the evil spirit grinned.

"...The way things should be. You know?" Ryou gave him his full attention.

"You know, people grow to rely on us. We grant them power, while asking for something in exchange..."

"...Exchange? F-For what?" Ryou sat up straighter in the throne, eying the Yami.

Something wasn't right, he thought.

It was a wonder why he didn't feel it earlier, before it was too late.

The spirit began to laugh.

The laugh became more crazed as time went on.

Soon, the whole dreamworld was filled with a psychotic echo.

Yami smiled at the boy.

He leaned down, and brushed away the hair in his face. "I'm a spirit, what else could I possible want?"

"W-Well..." Ryou stuttered, consumed with fright, "I could always fix you something to... Eat?"

Did ghosts even eat at all?

"Nice try..." Yami shook his head, "What I want is a much better prize than that..."

It happened again.

Ryou realized quickly that he couldn't move, after he had thought about escaping.

He was trapped, with no one to save him.

Of course, Yami wasn't going to help him, because he was the one attacking him.

"What I want is... You. Your body."

"My b-body?" Ryou gasped, "What kind of twisted things do you wish to do with it?"

"Oh... Nothing like that. I have plans for the world of the living," Yami grinned, "Those fools won't know what hit them!"

"Y-Yugi will stop you."

"Hm? ...No, I don't think he will." Yami pet his host. "At any rate, he won't be here to save you."

Ryou looked down at the ground, hiding his tears.

"Quit crying so much. It's such a pathetic way to accept defeat." The yami took one last look at Ryou.

He took out a short blade, which he lit aflame.

"I'd much rather you'd scream, instead."

* * *

><p>His eyes opened.<p>

At long last.

But how long was he asleep for?

School wasn't out yet, it was still break.

However, Ryou Bakura wasn't feeling like himself that day.

It was as if he had gone through some kind of awful transformation all in just minutes.

Yami Bakura chuckled proudly to himself as he leaned back against the desk.

He had quite enjoyed his time with Ryou.

Perhaps he had gone a little overboard?

No.

That wasn't even possible for the yami.

Nothing was too overboard for him.

There was always the chance that Ryou would fight back and gain back his form, however that wouldn't happen any time soon.

Ryou was much too weak, psychically and psychologically.

Especially after what Yami had done to him.

"I'm afraid you're life in this world is now over..." Yami Bakura spoke to himself, "...And now I am the one in control."

Yami then noticed something on the desk.

Something that Ryou had been working on, while he was dreaming.

Perhaps he didn't even realize that he was even doing anything.

He picked up the piece of paper and looked at it.

The yami broke into a half-smile. "How... Interesting."

Yami stuffed the picture into the pocket of the school jacket.

Every so often, Yami Bakura would take out the picture and look at it for a long while.

It was surprisingly well drawn.

Well drawn considering how it was done by Ryou, who honestly wasn't the brightest person around.

After school, Yami left in a hurry, giving Ryou's friends the cold shoulder.

To him, it was a race to find the Millennium items. "Yes, Ryou, we'll find them soon."

Yami spoke into the Millennium Ring, possible where Ryou's soul was being kept.

Ryou, being a host, had no say in the matter.

Yami disposed of Ryou's drawing later, for many possible reasons.

Maybe he didn't want anyone to know what it was.

And what was the picture?

A picture of Ryou, and someone else.

Someone who was really special to him.

Someone who meant the world to him.

They both looked happy in the picture, with no worries at all.

The two of them held hands and looked right at each other.

On the sides of the page were the words to Ryou's favorite song, he also listed a bunch of his favorite foods.

Ryou was very happy in the picture, holding hands with his yami.

His yami was as happy as he was.

Not as if he had obtained what he was seeking.

Not that kind of happiness.

It was as if he was simply happy to be around the other boy.

Not seeing him as a tool, but truly an equal.

As a friend.

Even though Ryou hadn't seen Yami until now, he was still able to draw him.

Perhaps that picture reflected on the illusion that the yami gave him.

A very small illusion, but enough to make the boy feel comfort.

Ryou Bakura had lived a lie.

A terrible thing, but it's the fate of most hosts.

When a host loses his body to the yami, he is dragged down into the darkest parts of his heart.

It seems impossible to ever gain back what was lost.

Actually, that's a lie.

All you really need is a little light.


	2. In Yami's Soul Room

Over time, Yami Bakura was becoming more and more comfortable when it came to taking over Ryou's body.

By now, it wasn't uncommon for Ryou Bakura to awaken with no memory of anything that had happened.

Yami was looking for something.

Something that he needed a host for, before he could get it.

This was at least the third time this week that the yami had taken over.

So it wasn't much of a surprise that Ryou had suddenly lost all control.

He didn't mind, though.

At least this time there wasn't anything important going on.

He had a week off school, and his friends all left on some big trip to a duelist competition of some kind.

It did bother Ryou that they went without him, but at least they wouldn't have to deal with Yami.

That would have been awful.

* * *

><p>And so there he sat in his soul room.<p>

A soul room, being exactly what it sounds like. A room, which is in his soul. If someone were ever to see it, they would know exactly what kind of person Ryou was.

The room was warm.

Not too warm, but warm enough that it wasn't cold.

There were two shelves, one being filled with books, the other held many types of games.

Games, such as Ryou's favorite RPG game: Monster World.

Beside the Monster World case, were some of Ryou's favorite game pawns.

On top of a small table, with a few horror movies, along with some comedy and family films, was a small photo of Ryou and his family.

He and his little sister happily held each other's hands, while his mother had a hand on his shoulder, while giving his father a kiss on the cheek.

There was a long tare, right through the middle of the page.

Possibly symbolizing that Ryou hadn't seen any of them in such a long time.

His sister was dead.

She had died in a car crash when Ryou was very young.

Not long after that, his mother disappeared.

His father had owned the museum for a long time, but recently lost it due to the failing economy.

After that, he began to travel all over the world.

He did find many treasures, including the cruel ring that dangled from Ryou's neck.

He discovered it in Egypt, where a thief convinced him to buy it.

The ring was given to Ryou, because it reminded his father of a game that his son was found of.

Strangely enough, that was the last time Ryou really remembered seeing his father.

In truth, probably the closest person to family in Ryou's life was his own, sadistic, yami.

* * *

><p>And so there he sat in his soul room.<p>

Sitting quietly on a small sofa chair, reading.

It was a book of the works of a writer who Ryou had never even heard of, full of poetry.

But there it was.

Happy poems, sad poems. Poems of love, poems of angst.

Ryou didn't mind very much.

He picked out poems that made him feel calm, and read them out loud to his 'family', who he placed on his lap.

"Wasn't that a nice piece, Mummy?" He smiled with a giggle and closed the book.

Ryou hugged the photo tightly in his arms, and fell back into the seat, singing softly to himself.

"Why are you so happy…?" A voice could be heard.

Ryou placed the photo back onto the table, expecting to see Yami there.

The man he thought he'd see was nowhere to be found.

He heard the voice again. "…Sorry to have startled you, Master!"

It wasn't Yami's voice he was hearing.

Where as Yami's voice was a little deeper than Ryou's, and much more sarcastic, often giving Ryou an uneasy feeling, this voice was small and meek.

The opposite.

"I'm up here, if you want to find me…"

Ryou slowly got up and followed the voice over to the shelf filled with games.

He saw it then, the little figure that he had created about a year ago.

A little pawn that he used in a game of Monster World.

A small white mage.

Ryou's friends had been eager to play the game with him for the longest time.

However they had ignored Ryou's warnings to stay away before Yami took over, challenging them to a game with him as the game master.

Ryou had managed to put a little bit of his soul into the figure, almost right after Yami lost his temper with his host, stabbing him all the way through his left hand.

Ryou still hand the scar from the stab.

It didn't really hurt anymore, seeing how it was so long ago, but it was there.

The skin was indented right in the middle.

"Are you the… White wizard?" Ryou finally said, after examining the little figure for a while.

The figure didn't move, being only a clay model, but the voice came again.  
>"…Yes! Hello, Master!"<p>

A puff of smoke came, sending Ryou off his feet.

When he opened his eyes, a small being stood before him.

The little mage quickly bowed before laughing to himself. "You've been coming here a lot, but this is the first time you've noticed me! So I thought I'd say 'hello'!"

"Ah, well… Hello to you, too." Ryou smiled.

"I'm the White Mage Bakura!" White Mage spun around, full of cheer and helped Ryou to his feet.  
>"How can you stand the game master being so mean to you all the time? I don't get it!"<p>

"Game master?" Ryou blinked. Then he remembered that when the mage was used in the game, Yami had been known as the "Dark Game Master Bakura". And so that was what the mage knew him as.  
>"…You mean Yami?"<p>

"Yami? …Yes, I guess that would be him. After all, yami means "dark", doesn't it?"

"I'm not really sure… But I suppose it could mean that."

"I see then!" White Mage made a quick pose. "The game master is "Yami", and you are the game master's pawn!"

Ryou wasn't too thrilled to be referred to as a pawn.

Though he had to admit, that did summarize just about everything.

"…And now you want my help to escape!" White Mage turned over to him,

"Escape? What ever do you mean?"

The figure looked up at him with a confused face. "…But the game master is using you to do horrible things. Don't you want to escape from this place, and get back control?"

"Oh…"

"And so it's my duty to help you!" White Mage ran off to the exit, "Let's go!"

* * *

><p>Ryou followed the mage out the door, where they ended up in an evenly lit hallway.<p>

It was a rather bizarre idea, escaping from your own soul.

Was that even possible?

Not too far away from Ryou's own room, was another door.

It wasn't the door out.

It was another soul room.

Someone else's.

"…Do you know what this place is?" Ryou brushed his fingers on the cold, stone doorway.

The white mage looked up at him, a bit panicked. "…M-Master, we shouldn't go in there."

"W-Why? What in my own soul could put me in danger?" Ryou ignored White Mage's warning and pushed the door open, somewhat absentmindedly going in.

"Master…" White Mage sighed and followed Ryou in.

This room was nothing like Ryou's.

It was very dark and dreary, completely made from cold stone.

There was a dirty, red rug that ran all across the room, until it hit a long chair.

A throne.

It was a throne room, with money and other golden items simply lying on the ground.

Books and items were scattered all over, with cloth torn up and hanging on the walls.

Ancient scriptures talking about a nameless pharaoh hung up by the throne.

"…This is Yami's soul room." Ryou concluded. By the looks of it, the yami was completely obsessed with treasure and the past.

"Yes. Now…" The game piece pulled on his master's jacket, "Let's go before he finds us here!"

Ryou ignored him and ventured deeper into the room. "What an odd place…"

"Master, we need to get out of here…"

"Oh, we'll go as soon as I see everything!" Ryou smiled back at the mage. "I've never been here before… I'd like to see it!"

Ryou skipped all around the room, exploring every corner of it.

He looked into a long mirror, which only showed a rather odd side of him.

He studied the scriptures on the walls, reading everything.

Plopping himself on the ground, he saw a little door behind a statue of a hooded man.

"…Oh? Where does this lead to?"

"M-Master, you shouldn't touch anything!" White Mage ran over to him.

He tripped over a switch, which sent a trap door opening from under them.

"…A-Ahh!" Ryou fell through, managing to hang onto the edge.

"Master!" White Mage rushed over, "I'm so sorry! I'll help you up right away!"

"You should have known better than to leave the safety of your own soul room."

The mage was a bit too slow, and a different person helped Ryou up.

This man looked almost just like Yami, but was different.

His hair was much shorter, being only shoulder length.

He had much darker skin, with smaller eyes, and a long scar that ran through his face.

Wearing only a red robe and shorts.

An Egyptian.

"Ah… Hello." Ryou blushed, slightly. "…Who are you? You're not Yami."

The man grinned, similar to the evil spirit. "I am the Thief King Bakura."

"Thief King… Bakura." Ryou sighed.

Sometimes it seemed as if everyone shared his name.

"Master Ryou, we should leave now!" White Mage urged, "Please, this isn't a good idea!"

The thief king glared at him. "How annoying… You're only a figure. A toy! You shouldn't be talking so much!"

He snapped his hands, and another trap opened.

White Mage gasped and was pulled in by a harsh wind.

The trap closed and the mage had completely disappeared.

"W-White Mage!" Ryou's eye widened. "What happened to him?"

"If we're lucky, he's been silenced." Thief King snickered.

"You mean you-?"

Thief King wasn't listening.

He fell down suddenly and disappeared himself.

"…Mr. Thief King?"

* * *

><p>It hadn't taken long for Ryou to be completely alone again.<p>

He quietly began to explore around again.

For a second he had thought he'd seen everything, but was surprised to find a long door.

Pushing it open, Ryou wandered inside.

This room was much more empty.

It contained only chains, hanging from the walls.

There were many pieces of paper lying crumpled up on the floor.

Ryou picked one up and read it to himself.

It was a love letter.

A strange one.

As he read more, it began to sound more like something that would have come from a stalker.

Who was it for?

There was a name, however it was smudged out.

Was there someone that Yami was interested in?

Letting the paper fly out of his hand, Ryou continued to walk deeper into the room.

"H-Hello? Is anyone here?"

What exactly happened to the two mysterious beings that he had met?

Behind him, a pale creature crawled on the ground.

"…Hm?" Ryou turned around quickly.

A serpent's tail appeared suddenly and wrapped around Ryou's feet, making him fall over.

"Ahh!"

A white monster, which appeared to be half man and half snake threw him into the wall.

Ryou then blacked out.

* * *

><p>When he awoke, he was laying on the ground, which the monster nowhere to be seen.<p>

Instead, Yami Bakura glared down at him, angrily.

"…Yami?" Despite his dark self's harsh look, Ryou leaped up and hugged him.

Yami slapped him over the head, making him fall back a little. "Why are you here, cursed landlord?"

"I-I…"

"Well?" In rage, Yami hit him a second time, even harder than the last.

"Sorry Yami…" Ryou sighed, rubbing his head, "I guess I was curious…"

"Yes, and through that curiosity of yours, you've caused all sorts of trouble in my soul room…" The spirit cursed under his breath, "You've even managed to anger Diabound."

"Diabound? Was that the creature that attacked me?" Ryou blinked.

"…Yes."

Ryou slowly got his balance back, "A-And who were those people! I'm sorry if I'm not suppose to be here…" He exclaimed back to his yami, "But now that I am and I've seen everything, I think I deserve an explanation!"

Yami Bakura was silent for a moment, but finally sighed. "Very well, then, Ryou."

He took hold of Ryou's arm and pulled him down on the stone steps, where they sat down.

"That man…" Yami began, "If you must know, he is a… Past incarnate of myself."

"P-Past incarnate? You mean that he's like your ancestor?"

"No." The spirit grinned, "He's your ancestor, and a second host of mine. We are, however, the same."

"Really?" Ryou smiled.

It was nice to finally have a good conversation with the yami.

"I'm sure you know more about that mage than I do. You're the one who created it, after all. So I won't explain that. "

Ryou nodded.

"…Diabound, now going back to the topic of the Theif King." Yami continued, "You see, the village of the thief king… Friends and family. They were slaughtered under the order of the royal family. The Pharaoh."

His host gasped, "S-Slaughtered? Killed? B-But why?"

"The bodies were used in a ritual. Limbs and organs. They were used to create the seven Millennium items…"

He pointed to the Millennium ring that hung around Ryou's neck.

"Th-This? I'm wearing it? I'm so sorry!" Ryou went to pull it off, but was stopped.

"No, keep wearing that… In fact, don't ever take it off."

Ryou calmed himself down.

"Now, as you can imagine, the villager's souls weren't too happy with this act." A sadistic laugh escaped from the spirit's lips, "Their ghosts combined together, and became one with the last survivor of the village…"

"The survivor? Was that…?"

"Yes. A boy who became the king of thieves. It really is an interesting story, isn't it?"

Ryou nodded, "And the villagers combined to create Diabound."

"Yes! Now you have the idea!" Yami laughed and stood up, "I suppose that explains everything now, doesn't it?"

"Maybe, Yami…" Ryou sighed, "…Erm, do you know what happened to White Mage?"

"Kukuku…" Yami snickered, clapping twice.

A door opened from the ceiling, and a small body fell right in front of them.

"White Mage?" Ryou gasped and ran over to the game piece. "He's not moving…"

"That's because he's dead, of course."

The mage's corpse disappeared in the air and Ryou stood up again, disturbed.

"Now, my host." Yami put a hand on his shoulder, with a smirk, "Are you ready to go back to your own soul room?"

Ryou looked back at him. "…Y-Yes. Sorry about everything."

He could hear his darker half laugh. "Whatever. Like it matters."

Yami took the boy by the arm and dragged him out of the room until they were back at the door.

"Good-bye, now." Yami sent a glare at him before pushing him out the door and back into the hallway of his soul.

"Bye Yami…" Ryou looked down sadly.

"…Oh don't be like that!" Yami rolled his eyes, "I'll be leaving soon, so just find something to do. Now that you know what's going on, I guess you should know better now! Hehh, hehh."

Ryou nodded and hugged the yami, before skipping back to his soul room.

Yami Bakura walked behind him, and locked his host in.

"Landlord… What a pest you are." He muttered to himself, and then left.

* * *

><p>Ryou thought of everything that Yami had said.<p>

Putting everything together, he was beginning to understand his motives.

He wasn't the surest of what he thought of it all.

In fact, he was fairly certain that it wasn't good.

But even if he didn't like what was going on, Ryou couldn't deny that he was helpless.

"What am I going to do, sister…?" He looked back at the photo.

He noticed a block of clay on the shelf.

Of course, Ryou loved to create his very own pawns for the Monster World game, so it wouldn't have been surprising that it was in his soul room.

Along with it, was a pack with many different colours of paint.

He took the clay, and began to model it until it made the shape of a mage.

"It was nice having someone to talk to… Maybe you'd come back if I gave you a body?" He smiled to himself as he formed the shape of his friend.

"…I'd like that, Master!" White Mage Bakura's voice sang out as Ryou worked.

Ryou smiled, "And I'll enjoy having you back!"

He hummed a happy tune to himself and continued to work through the night.


	3. For My Yami

Sunlight hit the sleeping host's face. He threw the sheet that he slept with over his head and made an irritated moan.

Something happened that Ryou Bakura thought would never happen.

He woke up.

It took a few moments for the thought to find it's way to his mind, but when it did, his body bounced right off the pillow and he gasped, looking all around him.

He was in his room,

In his own house.

Having spent so long locked inside of his soul room; Ryou had nearly forgotten that he had a life outside of being only his yami's host body.

But why?

How?

Perhaps the yami had found what he wanted for the moment, and had simply let Ryou free until he would be needed again.

Yes.

That sounded a little more like Yami.

It wasn't like he would simply let Ryou go.

But at the moment, he was free.

Yami wasn't at all like the evil spirits that Ryou had started reading about in his soul room.

These spirits stalked their hosts, until the weaker souls eventually gave in.

And then once they had them under their control, they would never let go of them.

They would keep the host under control until he or she couldn't be used anymore.

But Yami wasn't like that.

Well, not exactly.

Yami knew his limits.

He had granted Ryou time to heal, which was exactly what he needed.

What a kind, considerate, yami.

Ryou smiled, and with a waking yawn, he slowly crawled out of bed.

As he got ready for the day, getting himself dressed in his favorite sweater, and fixing a cup of tea, along with a small loaf of bread, than he had begun to feel pains all over his body.

What exactly had Yami been using him for?

He could only imagine.

He looked over at the small calendar that hung up over the fridge.

"Oh… There's about half a week left until school starts again." He placed his hand over his forehead, still feeling tired, "What a short week it's been…"

Or had the week been long?

Too long was more like it.

Much too long.

* * *

><p>"…Good morning, Master!" The voice of his meek ally sang out, and the White Mage's spirit appeared beside him.<p>

"Oh! Hello, White Mage!" Ryou smiled, "You're certainly in a cheerful mood, today!"

"Yes!" White Mage pointed up at him, "I'm just happy to see that you escaped!"

Ryou became silent.

Of course, he hadn't actually 'escaped'.

And if he ever needed to, he wouldn't even know where to begin.

"O-Oh… I'm not quite sure what exactly happened…" Ryou sighed, "Not that I really want to admit it, but… I feel awful. Simply awful. I'm in pain, and I have no memory of anything that's happened."

White Mage looked up him, sadly. "I'm sorry…"

"Hm? N-No need to apologize!" Ryou grinned and took a bite out of the bread, "I'm sure after a nice breakfast, and maybe a walk to the store, I'll feel just fine!"

"Really? Well, if you really think that will help…" The game piece's mood seemed to change as if it was nothing, "Then I'm happy for you! I'll help you in any way I can, too!"

"Alright, thank-you! We'll go…" Ryou quickly sucked back his tea, and refilled it without a second thought, "…After I have seconds, of course!"

* * *

><p>Ryou happily walked down the sidewalk, with the white mage following close behind him.<p>

It was a cold morning, with a gray sky. Leaves and newspapers blew in the wind, and the sound of vehicles filled the air.

As they walked, the sound of a siren drew closer and closer until a large ambulance rushed right past them.

After that, the loud sound died down.

Even though the day appeared to be gloomy, the sound of bird's singing kept Ryou in a good mood.

"I thought the sky was suppose to be blue…" White Mage spoke in a curious tone.

"Ah…" Ryou laughed softly, "It's only the clouds! They're hiding the sun away!"

"Hiding the sun?" White Mage blinked, "That sounds depressing! How is this going to make you feel better?"

"Well, I like to close my eyes while I walk…" Ryou did exactly that as he spoke, "And then, I simply listen to the sounds of the city. …They seem noisy and hostile, but after a while, they begins to sound like music."

He hummed a nice tune, and swayed his arms around.

"Those loud machines can make music?" White Mage looked at his master, skeptically.

He decided to try it, and closed his own eyes.

He didn't bother to keep walking, and stood still.

Ryou stopped when he noticed that the mage wasn't moving anymore, and watched him, worried.

"Mmm…" The mage exhaled a deep breath of cold air. "…Ahh! Yes! You're right, I can hear the music, too!"

Ryou couldn't help but to laugh. "See?"

White Mage nodded and they continued on their walk.

* * *

><p>Even though he had only been planning to walk to the store, Ryou stopped at the corner in front of the arcade.<p>

He recognized the group of friends standing there in front of the building, talking to each other.

The White Mage had noticed them, too, and had grown equally as curious as Ryou was.

"…Aren't those the players that we fought with in the game?" The mage grinned at the sight of them.

Ryou nodded. "Yes, though I wonder what they're doing back here, so quickly…"

"What do you mean, Master?"

"Ah…" Ryou sighed, "Well, on the last day of school they were very excited about going to a duelist competition. It started as soon as school ended."

"I see… Is it over already?"

"Well, I don't know all the details. They only explained a little bit of it to me before they left." Ryou explained, "Usually these contests can last days… At least, the last one I went to did."

Ryou had gone with his friends to a competition on an island called "Duelist's Kingdom" about a year or so ago.

He couldn't remember too much from it, but the man who had been hosting the event wielded a Millennium item.

An eye.

What a strange item for it to be.

Wouldn't it have been painful…?

Taking it in and out.

Why would he have even wanted such a thing?

After the competition there…

The man had suddenly disappeared…

With the eye nowhere to be seen.

How suspicious…

Though at the same time, Ryou knew exactly what had happened.

He didn't need to remember to know.

It was a little more than obvious.

After all, he had seen the eye itself.

And when he saw it, the first thing that had come to mind…

…Was how horrible it tasted.

Ryou honestly didn't want to remember why he knew what the eye tasted like.

What an odd, sick fetish that Yami had.

"…Master?"

Ryou shook his head. "S-Sorry. I must have just zoned out for a second."

He could see a hint of panic form on the mage's face. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yes… I think so." Ryou licked the corner of his lip and then went over to greet his friends.

"…Huh?" Téa Gardner blinked.

Ryou seemed felt a sudden dizzy feeling and tripped over a hole in the ground, falling onto the sidewalk.

"…Aw, that kind of hurt." He mumbled to himself.

"Are you okay, Bakura?" Yugi Moto, who also had a Millennium item, knelled over beside the boy and pulled him back up to his feet.

Being so close to him, Ryou had to fight off a sudden urge to steal the puzzle that hung down from his friend's neck, in a chain.

"Thank-you…" He stared at the puzzle.

White Mage watched beside Ryou, with a nervous feeling.

Of course he couldn't interfere too much now that Ryou was around other people.

No one else could see the mage, and it would seem strange for Ryou to be talking to himself.

"Well, we were going to go and play some games…" Yugi pointed to the arcade.

"Yeah!" Joey Wheeler exclaimed, excitedly, "You coming with?"

"Ah… I suppose I'd might as well." Ryou smiled.

It wasn't too often when his friends would invite him to do something.

In fact, out of the whole time he had known them, there may have only been two or three times.

Téa high fived with Joey and the group went on inside.

Ryou stayed close to Yugi on the way in.

He couldn't help it…

The puzzle had managed to catch onto his attention.

* * *

><p>"…Why do you keep it on a chain, anyway?" He finally asked, at least a full two minutes later as they watched Téa play against Joey in a game of DDR.<p>

"Keep what?" Yugi blinked, "…You mean my Millennium Puzzle?"

"Y-Yes! That's exactly what I mean! …I-I mean…" Ryou caught himself, before he got too carried away. "I'm just curious. It seems to be an awfully dangerous way to hang an item…"

Ryou's voice sounded much more nervous than he imagined it to.  
>"…What if your yami tried to…?"<p>

"…The pharaoh." Yugi interrupted Ryou with a stern voice.

"Yes. …The p-pharaoh."

Ryou could easily admit that he was afraid of the nameless pharaoh.

He wasn't exactly sure why.

He had seen what the pharaoh was like when he took control over Yugi.

The way he treated his host…

…Made him jealous.

His methods were so different than Ryou's own Yami Bakura.

The pharaoh never brought harm to Yugi.

Everything he told his host was only to encourage him.

Never to make him feel weak…

Never to kick him while he's down.

Oh how Ryou wished that his yami would only treat him that way.

If every scar indented in his skin…

If every injury and pain he had ever suffered because of his yami…

Could only be replaced by the warm, feeling of acceptance and love…

Just like Yugi and the pharaoh.

Oh, but Ryou was afraid of the pharaoh.

The spirit who saw his host as a friend, rather than a tool.

He was so afraid…

Perhaps it was because of the story that his yami had told him.

He had told him of the village, where the villagers, one after the other, all fell victim to the pharaoh.

It might not have been the nameless pharaoh, himself… But he must have been involved.

It was his own family that placed the order to murder the people, and to use their body parts in order to create the seven Millennium items.

Such a horrible story for Yami to tell him…

"Well… I guess it's just easier to keep it with me, then." Yugi finally answered.

"Oh, I see!" Ryou grinned, embarrassed for making such a big deal out of it.

"Thing is… I guess I don't know what I would ever do if the pharaoh and I were ever separated." Yugi laughed, "It's kinda funny… Usually when you think of a hikari, you'd think of just sadness and torture… But it's not like that at all…"

He smiled, sweetly.

A smile that sent all different kinds of feelings through Ryou.

"I guess… We just have a really strong spiritual connection. Like, we're always at our best when we're together!" Yugi stopped talking for a moment to look at his friend. "…O-Oh. Sorry Ryou, I didn't mean it like…"

"It's alright. Everything you're saying should be true, right? I wouldn't doubt it for a second…" Ryou sighed sadly. "You're very lucky."

White Mage, who had been standing close behind Ryou the whole time, tugged on his pant leg.

"M-Master… I know you wanted to see your friends, but… Maybe we shouldn't stay here."

"Ah…" Ryou sighed, making a small nod to show that he heard the mage. "I should go."

"What, already?" Joey groaned and stretched out his arms.

"Sorry… But I have other things to do." Ryou wasn't wanting to spend another moment there, anyway.

He ran right over to the doors, followed by the mage, and waved. "I hope I'll see you again, later!"

* * *

><p>"That felt really close…" White Mage frowned, childishly.<p>

Ryou nodded, but didn't say much else.

"Master? Are you okay?"

Ryou stumbled down by the side of the building, sitting on the gravel.

White Mage sat down beside him. "Yugi didn't say anything to upset you, did he?"

"No… I suppose he didn't." Ryou leaned his head back against the wall, and sucked in the cold air. "It's just me feeling a little… Off. I guess I could just use with a break."

"I see…" The mage smiled and buried his little face in his master's arm.

"Yes, yes, very touching." Yami Bakura appeared in front of them.

"A-Ah!" The White Mage stood up, "It's the game master…"

"Yami…?" Ryou blinked.

"Yeah. Hello." Yami rolled his eyes, "Ugg, that was so boring to watch, you fool… The one time I let you do things on your own… You had so many chances to take that damn puzzle."

"I'm not a thief, Yami!" The host stood up, a little upset.

"Hmph… Well, at most, if you want to make yourself useful, you'd go home, if you'd just burn that _thing _that follows you around…" Yami glared at the mage, "It's been annoying me ever since you brought it back."

"W-What?" White Mage quickly hid behind Ryou, "I'm a special game pawn that my master Ryou created himself! …I-It would take more than to simply melt me to get rid of me forever!"

Ryou watched his yami pout.

Surely this whole surprise visit wasn't just about his mage.

"Yami… I-I would like to ask you something."

"…Hmph." Yami scowled, "What could you possible want to know that I haven't told you already?"

"Yami…" Ryou didn't say anything for a moment, but built up some courage, and spat out his question. "Why are you always angry with me?"

"…Hm?" Yami stared at his host.

Ryou didn't give time for his Yami to answer, and began to blurt out more questions that came to mind. "…Why don't you ever encourage me? Why don't you ever just accept me? Why don't you… Love me? Like what the pharaoh does for Yugi…"

"Oh? And you think I should always be _nice_ to you, just because we share the same damn body?" Yami snarled.

He would have attacked Ryou, however White Mage was quick to run in the middle of them.

"Please, today's suppose to be a nice day when Master can have a break from you!" He exclaimed, "Why start all this violence again if you don't even have to?"

"Oh, sod off!" Yami pushed the clay figure over. "…Besides, Ryou. Why should I even bother with what you're saying, when it's only coming from jealousy for something that you'll never have?"

"I just thought…"

"In case you forgot, I had already granted you a wish, and you didn't even like it." He laughed, "…Now, have a _fun _day with your toy."

Yami disappeared back into the Millennium ring, leaving Ryou and White Mage alone.

"I don't understand him…"

"Me neither!" White Mage stuck his tongue out at the ring to taunt the yami.

Yami was always in this foul mood…

Surely there had to be something that would make him happy.

"Well…" Ryou left to go around the corner, "Let's go to the store now… I haven't eaten lunch yet, and I'm hungry."

"Mmhm…" White Mage followed him.

Ryou tapped his mage on the shoulder, "Would you like to race there?"

White Mage smiled, a little surprised how quickly Ryou had gotten over what just happened. "Alright."

The host giggled and they chased each other until they reached the corner store, where Ryou ate a quick lunch.

* * *

><p>Afterwards, they made their way to a dessert joint.<p>

"Won't you gain weight if you buy that much…?" White Mage questioned as he followed Ryou around in the store.

"Oh… It's not all for me!"

The mage gave his master a strange look.

"Well… Okay, maybe it is." Ryou laughed, nervously, "But it's not all for _me_…"

"Y-You don't mean…"

It was strange to feel this way about someone who wouldn't have cared if he lived the rest of his life in misery…

However, Ryou felt as if he had to do something for his yami.

Not to do something, as in to simply take orders,

But to give the yami something nice,

On his own free will, too.

He paid for two pieces of cake, and the casher put them both into a little bag.

* * *

><p>They ran home as quickly as possible after that, not bothering to enjoy the city.<p>

White Mage helped set the cake up in an appealing way, while Ryou wrote down some things on a note.

"I hope it doesn't seem to cruel of me to ask, but…" White Mage did his best to make the cake noticeable, "W-Why are you doing all of this?"

"…I want to see if this'll make Yami happy…" Ryou replied, bashfully.

"You want to make him… Happy?"

The mage wasn't so sure if that was even possible.

At least, not in the way Ryou saw it.

From what he often saw, Yami was only happy when he was torturing Ryou.

White Mage couldn't stand seeing it.

"There. All set!" Ryou finished the last bit of his own piece, "I hope Yami will like it."

"Can we really surprise him?" The mage picked up Ryou's plate and put it away for him.

"Maybe not… Nothing can get past Yami." Ryou rested his elbows on the table and sighed, "But I want to hear what he says."

"Well... The game master doesn't like me, so I'll hide."

Ryou nodded, not truly understanding why the two disliked each other so much.

As White Mage ran off to hide in his room, Ryou held up his ring and spoke in a friendly tone to it.

"Let's switch so you can see what I did for you!"

* * *

><p>Yami Bakura sat back in the chair.<p>

In front of him was a slice of strawberry cheesecake, with a note beside it.

"Hikari made such a big deal out of this mortal food…" He couldn't help but to laugh as he poked the dish with the fork that Ryou had set out for him.

White Mage peeked his head out of the door, trying to hard not to get caught.

The spirit didn't even move a muscle. "I'm well aware that you're there, toy."

"Ah…" White Mage stepped out and joined Yami in the kitchen. "Aren't you going to read that note? Master put a lot of effort into this for you…"

Yami sent a side-glance to the mage, and picked up the note. "If I must…"

Nothing on the note really interested him.

Ryou was mostly rambling.

He had probably written down the first things that came to mind.

It reminded Yami of the 'friendship speeches' that Ryou's friends often made to prove their points.

"Tsk… This is just what I'd expect from you, Ryou." He slapped the note down on the table and took a bite out of the cake.

"That's it…?" The mage scowled slightly.

Yami laughed, "Well, I couldn't really care less."

"After this, you're going to let Master have back control, right?"

Yami put his feet up on the table, in a manner as disrespectfully as possible. "No, I don't think I will."

White Mage's face turned red. "Y-You're… Unbelievable! Completely unbelievable!"

He stormed off back into Ryou's room, slamming the door.

Now that the mage wouldn't be bothering him for a while, Yami snickered.

He put his feet back on the ground, and took another bite.

"…I'll admit, an interesting mix."

With no one psychically watching, the yami devoured the cake within seconds.

He grinned. "What an interesting landlord I have…"

"You know, if this makes you feel better about yourself, Ryou…"

He spun the fork around on the plate.

"…I don't regret choosing you as my host at all."


	4. Yami's Ally Marik

White Mage Bakura muttered rants to himself as he played around with Ryou Bakura's Monster World game board.

If it weren't his master's body, he would have been tempted to hit the Yami Bakura.

Of course, then again, he was a bit too short for that, anyway.

Oh how he disliked the evil spirit.

Ryou had been set on finding a way to make the yami happy.

If there was one thing that White Mage had learned,

Was that Yami could only ever be happy when he was giving others pain.

Ryou had even let him take control with his own free will,

However the yami only took it as a joke.

Well, White Mage had no idea what the yami truly thought…

He heard him laugh, though.

That was all he needed to know.

After all of his master's attempts to show the yami the good in life,

Yami didn't take it seriously at all.

White Mage didn't even think that the yami cared about Ryou at all.

"That game master makes me so mad…" White Mage made a scowl as he played around with the game world's structure.

He moved around figures in the town and had them speak to each other.

They were all happy conversations, of course.

"…Things are so much more simple in the game world." He sighed.

"I could put you back in there if that's what you're wanting." Yami Bakura leaned against the door. "I won't have to put up with your complaints anymore."

White Mage stared at him, and then shook his head. "I-I do not have anything to say to you, Game Master Yami!"

"Whatever."

White Mage gave him a sour look.

He couldn't help himself.

Yami was using his master's body as if he were wearing clothing.

Without a single act of respect towards the form.

Yami walked over and took a look at the figured on the shelves.

"Master made those, don't touch them!" White Mage sent him a cold warning.

"Shut up, toy." Yami proceeded looking at the different game pawns.

He picked up a figure from the shelf and grinned.

"…No, put that back, Yami!" White Mage ran over to him, jumping up and down in an attempt to grab the figure.

Yami snickered.

The mage hadn't even seen which pawn it was that he had taken.

So he put the clay figure into view for White Mage to see.

It was his own "body".

"Well, I was just thinking how similar this pawn is to you." He laughed.

White Mage gasped when he saw this. "P… P-Put me back!"

Yami ignored him. "Hmm, I wonder what would happen if I snapped this figure in half…"

"You wouldn't dare!"

Yami gestured as if he was going to do just that.

"Whaah, stop!"

"…Yami, don't do that to him!"

The spirit of Ryou appeared and held onto the yami's wrist.

"W-What…?" Yami's head twitch over to Ryou. "How did… Who told you how to do that?"

His host smiled. "Oh, White Mage taught me how last time you took over!"

"Did he now…" Yami sent a sharp glare over to the mage.

White Mage ran over to Ryou's side. "Yeah! I taught him how to appear even when you have his body under control!"

Ryou nodded, cheerfully. "Yes! I've done it before, but I could never remember how."

"Yes, I remember that." Yami rolled his eyes.

The first time Ryou had ever stood up to Yami, he had appeared before him.

During the game of Monster World.

Ryou had appeared to his yami, before his defeat at the pharaoh's hands.

Oh how angry he had been.

Of course Yami wouldn't forget something like that.

"No one else will see me… But now I can talk to you even when you've taken over…" Ryou smiled.

Yami simply stared at him, blankly.

While the yami stood there, White Mage jumped up and grabbed his body from him.

Giving it back to his master, Ryou giggled and put it back on the shelf.

Ryou was certainly glad to know this.

There had been something that he wanted to talk to Yami about, anyway.

"...Are you okay, Master?" White Mage blinked.

"Ah…" Ryou nodded, "White Mage, do you think I could talk with Yami on my own?"

"W-What?" The pawn gasped, "Why? Are you sure? What if…"

Yami snickered, "I believe that your master wants you to get lost."

"Y-Yo-"

"Yami, please stop being so cruel to White Mage!" Ryou leaned down and poked his friend right on the nose. "...You don't have to worry about me! I'll be extra careful!"

The mage sighed, and nodded. "Alright, I'll leave. If you need me, just call."

Then he disappeared, leaving Ryou alone with Yami.

As soon as his mage left, Ryou didn't waste a second.

"So, Yami, what did you think of the dessert?" He stood beside Yami, eyes big and curious like a puppies'.

"Hmm?" Yami glanced over at him, "…Ah, yes. That cake."

Ryou had attempted to treat him with cheesecake, along with a note.

Though Yami didn't care much for human food, he had to admit, it was interesting to see his hikari try so hard.

"Well? Did you like it? I mean, not that I made it, I bought it, but I'd still like to know…" He continued talking.

"…It was terrible." Yami gave him a simple answer.

"What…?"

"You heard me. I don't know why you think I would be remotely interested in something like that." Yami replied, coolly.

"…Ooh, you're lying! Aren't you?" Ryou pulled at the yami's sleeve, pouting.

"And what makes you say that?"

"Well, you sounded happy when you ate it…" Ryou smiled, "You may have been in control at the time, but I let you have control. I knew what was going on…"

"Then why are you asking?" Yami groaned, irritated.

Ryou made a nervous laugh. "I… I guess I just wanted to hear you say it directly to me."

Yami thought something to himself for a second. "Well, I'm not in the mood to tell you anything."

He pet Ryou on the head and laughed.

Ryou sighed, "Okay…"

Yami went back over to the door and stepped outside.

"Oh? Are you going somewhere?" Ryou blinked.

"Yes. Tagging along, or going back to your soul room?"

Ryou ran over to him, "I'll go with!"

* * *

><p>Yami walked down in the street along with Ryou.<p>

"Where are you going?" Ryou yawned as he followed.

"The museum." Yami answered, "I think I'll meet up with a past… Ally."

His host smiled, "So I'll get to meet your friend?"

"I wouldn't call him a friend. At all. …But he'll be leaving soon, so I thought I'd might as well."

"Ah, I see!"

* * *

><p>They made their way to a museum, a place that Ryou's father had once owned.<p>

Yami didn't bother to greet anyone right away, and took a look through the Egyptian artifacts that where still on display, still waiting to be packed away.

"Ooh, these are so cool!" Ryou looked over Egyptian jewelry, "This one looks like it could have come from your time!"

"Yes, indeed it does." Yami read the label placed on an ancient mummy.

"…Bakura?"

"Hmm?" The two spirits turned over to a boy, only a little older than Ryou.

"Yes, hello Marik." Yami snickered.

"The heck are you doing here?" Marik Ishtar put his hands on his hips, "Me and my family are going back to Egypt!"

"And what a shame that is." Yami rolled his eyes, sarcastically.

"'Can it, fluffy."

Ryou couldn't help but to giggle to himself.

"…Hey, can he see me?"

"I can see ya," Marik answered, "…That doesn't mean I like what I see."

Ryou didn't bother to notice the insult and jumped right in front of the other boy. "Well, in that case, my name is Ryou Bakura! It's a pleasure to meet you!"

"…Marik Ishtar, a tomb keeper." Marik replied, "We've met once before. I guess you're here with your yami."

"…Oh, yes!" Ryou smiled, "Do you have one, t-?"

"So, what did ya want from me?" Marik interrupted before Ryou had the chance to finish.

The most of a reaction that Ryou got was a sharp glare that came from the other boy.

"Is it such a crime that I want to say my good-byes before my 'friend' leaves?" Yami laughed.

"Guess not, but… I thought you hated me!" The tomb keeper kicked the floor, embarrassed, "Ya know, for what happened."

"Don't be stupid, of course I hate you for that." Yami growled, slightly, "What do you expect?"

Ryou simply listened to them talk, not exactly sure what had happened.

Marik had a very troublesome yami.

As far as evil went, the yami was a bit of an underdog, but was, indeed, very troublesome.

In the end, Marik and Yami Bakura teamed up in an attempt to defeat the Yami Marik.

It was a battle that they lost.

The two of them were sent to the Shadow Realm, then.

Yami Marik did end up going back for Marik in order to use as a sacrifice, but had left Yami Bakura there.

Yami Marik was defeated by the hands of the pharaoh.

Although Marik was saved from a doomed fate, Yami Bakura was forced to find his own way out of the Shadow Realm.

The events had not amused him at all.

Marik sighed, "Yeah, I guess I can see why."

"And besides," Yami continued, "After all I went through helping you out, I expect something back from you."

"…Right." Marik became serious, "I promised you the Millennium Rod."

"Yes. You did."

Marik then burst out in a loud laugh, "Yeah, well I don't have it! Sorry, hehh, hehh!"

"…Oh really?" Yami glared at him.

"The pharaoh has it now."

Ryou watched his yami's face, nervously.

Yami looked as if he wanted to choke the other boy to death.

"A-Ah…" Ryou cut into the conversation, "Maybe you can give something else to Yami! I'm sure there's something here that's almost just as valuable!"

"I'd rather doubt that, Landlord."

"Yeah." Marik huffed, "And in case ya haven't noticed, this is a museum. Not a store! What makes you think you can just take something?"

"W-Well, I just thought…"

"Marik?"

Marik's sister, Ishizu ran over to them.

She stopped cold the moment she saw Yami.

"Bakura… What are you doing here?"

"Because it's such a big deal that I've decided to take one last look before the exhibit is taken." Yami snickered.

Of course, she couldn't see Ryou at all.

"…I see." Ishizu glared over at the yami, but continued to speak with Marik. "Marik, I need you to find this item quickly. You know what it is. I've looked everywhere with no luck."

"Got it, Sis." Marik grinned, "No worries, I got it all covered!"

"I hope so." Ishizu went to take her leave, "…Oh, and keep an eye on _him_."

After she left, Ryou smiled. "Don't worry, Marik, we'll help you find it!"

"…You will?"

"Of course!" Ryou pulled on Yami's arm, "Right, Yami?"

"Pass." Yami pushed Ryou back and crossed his arms.

"Oh… W-Well, I'll help you!"

"Hmm, well, I guess that's okay!" Marik laughed, "Let's start over there!"

* * *

><p>He and Ryou ran over to look along by the jewelry.<p>

"What are we looking for?" Ryou took a glance at precious gemstones as they walked by.

"Some stone that was said to have magical properties." Marik answered with a smirk.

"Ah, I see! Then it should be around here, somewhere!"

"Yeah, should be."

* * *

><p>"That idiot…" Yami growled as he continued looking at the artifacts, "Well, I'll get a hold of that rod sooner or later. The same goes for all of those Millennium items."<p>

He laughed to himself. "And then at long last, Zorc the Dark One will finally awaken…"

"…Oh?" A bright, round object under a coffee table.

He picked it up and lounged back in a seat as he examined it. "How interesting…"

* * *

><p>After about a full hour of searching, Marik stopped to catch his breath and Ryou yawned.<p>

"Okay… I give…" Marik gasped, "It's not here."

"I'm sure we'll find it, Marik…" Ryou made an attempt to comfort him.

"Forget it, it's not here!" Marik groaned and started back, "Let's just meet up with Bakura again!"

"Oh, okay… But if I find it, I'll give it back!"

"You find it, just keep the dang thing." Marik snapped, "I can't be bothered."

"But Marik, you said that stone was powerful, right?" Ryou made a worried look. "Would something like that really be safe?"

"Relax! It's not like just anyone could use it!" Marik laughed, "It's ancient Egyptian magic! Sure Bakura is dangerous, but… How much could he know?"

Ryou looked away nervously, "Y-Yeah… You could be right…"

"Told ya, everything's gonna be fine!" The tomb keeper grinned and the two boys ran back.

* * *

><p>"Y-You mean to tell me that the stone is gone forever and we should just <em>give up<em>?" Ishizu exclaimed after hearing the odd story that Marik came up with at the top of his head.

"Sorry, Sis." Marik blushed, feeling a small bit of guilt after seeing Ishizu's face.

"Marik, we need that stone back! If it ends up in the wrong hands…"

"W-Well, what are the odds of that? Hehh, hehh…" Marik chuckled.

His sister glared harshly at him.

* * *

><p>"We didn't find the stone, Yami…" Ryou sighed.<p>

"I don't care." Yami stood up from the chair.

"Oh, …sorry."

"Whatever, let's just get going." Yami walked right past his host.

"Didn't you want to do anything else…?" Ryou blinked.

Yami snickered, "No, I've found something worth while."

"You have?" Ryou's face lightened up with curiosity.

"Yes, now let's be off."

* * *

><p>On the way home, Yami took out the stone to have another look at it.<p>

Ryou leaned over to see what his double was doing. "…Is that what you found?"

"Yes, Landlord." Yami grinned, "I'm sure when you think about it, you know what it is."

The boy gasped, "Th-That's the stone me and Marik were looking for!" A worried look came over him, "We have to go and give it back to him before he and his family leave!"

"We're not doing anything of the sort." Yami growled at him.

"B-But…"

"We're going back home, and you will keep quiet about this."

Ryou sighed. He made a gesture as if to zip his mouth closed.

Yami couldn't help but to laugh, "Good boy."

* * *

><p>"Welcome back, Master~!" White Mage greeted them the moment they walked through the door.<p>

"You certainly don't stay away for long…" Yami frowned.

White Mage ignored him. "You were gone for a while, I was starting to get worried… But I made you supper!"

"F-For me?" Ryou blinked.

"Yes!" He teased the yami, "…And that mean old yami can't have any, because it's for Master only!"

"Oh really…" Yami smirked, "And how is he suppose to eat without a body?"

The mage froze.

"O-Oh… Err…"

"He can't, can he?"

"Y… You have to switch _right now_ so Master can eat what I made for him!" White Mage jumped up and down, waving his arms in a fit.

"That's not going to happen." Yami walked right past him and went into Ryou's game room.

"What a jerk…" The mage complained, sadly.

"Oh…" Ryou kneeled on the floor by White Mage, "Don't worry about him!"

"But because of him, you can't try out my cooking!" White Mage sighed, "And I even got the idea from you…"

His master smiled, "Well, I'm sure it tastes great! And I'll be sure to try some when Yami lets me have my body back!"

"…You mean if. Right now, I think he's keeping you just to annoy me." White Mage scowled, "Actually, I'm pretty sure that's it!"

"Oh… We have to switch _sometime_, right?"

"I hope so… Your dinner's going to get cold! Then it won't be good anymore!" White Mage scurried off to the kitchen and was followed by Ryou.

"…H-Huh?"

Yami stood over the table, chewing on a piece of meat that he pulled off of the dish the mage made.

"Y-You…" White Mage shook when he saw this, "…No, don't eat that! It's for Master! Not you! Master!"

"I can do as I like." Yami replied, taking another bite.

"S-Spit it out now!" White Mage yelled out, "Spit it out! Spit it out! Spit it out!"

"…If you insist." Yami spat the piece of meat right at the mage, who ducked.

"…I thought you were in Master's game room!" White Mage said as he cleaned the meat off the floor.

"I was only putting something away."

"Y-You'd better not have touched me again!"

"Oh, don't flatter yourself, I have much better taste than that!"

By this time in the conversation, Ryou wanted nothing more than to hide.

"Now look, you've embarrassed the landlord!" Yami laughed.

"Sorry, Master…"

"I-It's fine! Really, I'm fine!" Ryou tapped his fingers together while attempting to hide his blushing, "Ah… Thank-you, and… I'm tired. I think I might just go back to my soul room now."

Ryou disappeared back into his body and Yami made another amused chuckle.

"Go ahead and laugh…" White Mage blushed.

"That's what I'm doing."

Yami continued to eat what White Mage had made for Ryou.

White Mage sighed. "The things Master has to put up with."


	5. Games A Yami Would Enjoy

Yami Bakura grumbled as he lounged in the couch, looking at the magic stone he had found in the museum.

He would have rather had a nice, quiet evening that he could use to plot, however things could never be that easy.

Peaking his head up from the end of the seat, White Mage sent glares at the yami.

"Why are you looking at a stone…?"

"What do you care, toy?" Yami made his reply sound as mean as it could be.

"Well, I'm sure you don't need a body to do that." The mage stated, childishly.

"Oh shut up."

"I-I'm not going to 'shut up' until you let Master go!" White Mage sounded so loyal when he said this.

It made Yami sick.

"Keep up with that act of yours, and you might never get your little master back." He said in a cool, but threatening tone.

White Mage was taken back with this.

"U-Unbelievable!" He muttered, "If you do anything bad to Master, I'll…"

"You'll?" Yami made an amused laugh.

"I'll… I-I'll…"

Yami grinned as if he had won, and went right back to what he was doing before the mage had interrupted him.

White Mage sighed.

There wasn't much point staying here, and he disappeared into Ryou's soul.

"Finally." Yami felt he could relax at last.

* * *

><p>Ryou Bakura had been sleeping in his soul room when the White Mage requested to come inside.<p>

"Hm…?" He awoke right away and let him in.

"Were you asleep?"

"Yeah." Ryou smiled, "I had a dream about me and my sister, Amane."

"Oh, I see!" White Mage grinned, "Sorry for coming in at the wrong time."

"No, it's fine. It's feels as if I've been having that dream for ages."

The mage blinked, "Were you asleep for the whole time you were in here?"

Ryou nodded, with a weary look over his face, "I've already read all the books in here, there's not much else to do."

He got on the floor and started cleaning up pieces of paper and books.

White Mage, realizing that Ryou was doing his own self-proclaimed job, got down beside the other boy to help.

"Say…" Ryou began a thought, "What's your own soul room like, White Mage?"

"M-My soul room?" The mage blushed, "You want to see mine?"

"Well, not if you don't want to…"

"No, it's fine with me!" White Mage stood up with a red face, "If you'd like to see it, then I'm okay with it!" He laughed nervously, "Though, there's not a lot there…"

"I don't mind at all, I'd just like a break from this place!" Ryou laughed, standing up.

White Mage nodded, running over to the door where he jumped up to attempt reaching the handle.

Ryou opened it for him with a smile and the two of them ventured out into the dark halls.

* * *

><p>A never-ending hallway, that went around in circles, possibly resembling the Millennium Ring.<p>

"I didn't think yours would be so close to mine…" Ryou grinned, excitedly.

"Well, actually, my soul room didn't appear here until you made me a body in your own soul room!" White Mage explained the best he could.

"I actually have two identical soul rooms, one inside the body you made for me in the real world, and one here in you soul! …Because, when you used me against the game master Yami, you put a part of your soul inside of me."

"Oh yes, I remember that!" Ryou had made perfect sense of the mage's explanation, somehow.

White Mage opened up the door, where the doorknob was a height that he could reach, and pushed it open. "Oof!"

Full of curiosity, Ryou crept on inside.

* * *

><p>This soul room was nowhere near as complex as Ryou and Yami's.<p>

Being only a pawn for an RPG game, of course White Mage would only be interested in a few things.

There were mostly books.

Strategy guides,

Adventure logs, from the games Ryou had used him in,

Then something that acted as a diary,

Recording the adventures he had with Ryou since they met in his soul room.

There wasn't much else other than that.

There was only one more item of interest, in the very center of the room, on a small table.

The diorama that Ryou had made, after he and his friends defeated the game master, Yami Bakura, in Monster World, with White Mage's help, of course.

The moment that White Mage's whole life revolved around.

"Wow…" Ryou hadn't truly been expecting a soul room like this.

White Mage grinned, sheepishly.

"This is… Amazing!" Ryou ran straight over to the diorama, "You have this here! Amazing!"

He read through the adventure logs, "You remember even more than I do!"

"Well, it may have been a while to you since we did those adventures, but I'm your avatar." White Mage made another explanation, "To me, nothing was too long ago."

Ryou nodded to acknowledge that he got what the mage was trying to say.

He placed the adventure log exactly where he found it, and pulled out the diary.

"You don't mind if I read this, do you…?" He was sure to ask politely.

White Mage shook his head. "Not at all, if that's what you want, Master!"

He had nothing to hide, of course.

Ryou smiled and began to read.

Most of the time White Mage had written about Ryou.

What he thought about the boy,

Why he thought so.

Almost as if he was expecting that sooner or later, it would be read.

His writing was always in the best of grammar, with little or no spelling mistakes,

And he wrote it as if he were narrating a story.

The first few entries were talking about people in his life.

At least five or more pages about Ryou,

Two pages about Yami,

And one paragraph for each of Ryou's friends, who had been members of his party when they played the Monster World game.

A few sentences were about other pawns that had been used in Monster World games:

Such as the monster companions, like Pokii, who had joined them on their quest.

Villagers were also included.

The mage even spoke about the avatar that Yami had used:

Zorc, the Dark Lord.

Ryou read everything, full of interest.

There were even people mentioned by his avatar, who he had forgotten completely about.

He couldn't deny that it made him feel guilty.

Ryou read the page talking about Yami.

He didn't know why.

As soon as the topic had changed to the evil spirit,

White Mage's writing had suddenly changed to an angry tone.

The entire thing was covered in rants.

How much he disliked the way Yami acted, spoke, laughed.

Yami's loud, cruel laugh.

How he just loved just the thought of people suffering.

Ryou wasn't exactly sure what to think of any of it.

Even though he was always being used by the Yami.

As a host, and a pawn. Was there anything else he was missing?

Even so, he honestly didn't think of the Yami as badly as the mage did.

"_Isn't there anything I can do to stop these two from hating each other so much…?_" Ryou thought, sadly, to himself.

Sitting down beside him, White Mage watched Ryou read, nervously.

He often looked back and fourth, from the book, to his master's always changing expression.

"I-Is everything okay?" He finally spoke out.

"Hm?" Ryou blinked, putting his focus on the mage, "Oh, yes! Everything's… Fine! Brilliant!"

"Really? Well… That's good!" White Mage let out a relieved sigh.

Ryou giggled and closed the diary.

"Whacha doing, now?"

"Oh…" Ryou didn't speak right away, after giving some thought to what he was going to say, "…I just thought of something fun we could do!"

White Mage's face lightened up as soon as he heard that.

He jumped to his feet and danced around, "What is it? What is it?"

"We'll have to go as spirits…"

"You mean you want to go to the real world?" The mage blinked.

Ryou nodded, "Yes… That's okay, isn't it?"

White Mage could sense the worry in Ryou's voice, and waves his arms around, panicked. "No! Of course not! …After all, that mean old yami can't tell us what we can and can't do!"

"R-Right."

In truth, it was Ryou's ultimate goal to change the clay figure's way of thinking. Hopefully, for the better.

* * *

><p>Yami lay back, relaxing in the seat.<p>

Without any interruptions, he was proud to have gotten so many different ideas in his head.

His few moments of not-so-sanity were quickly wrecked when Ryou and White Mage appeared from out of him.

"...Dang it, Landlord." Yami snarled, with an unamused face.

"Hm? Oh!" Ryou blinked, "Sorry, Yami!"

White Mage scowled at the evil spirit, then focusing his attention on Ryou. "So what were you wanting to do?"

"O-Oh, umm…"

Yami raised an eyebrow. He didn't truly care, however the mage's loud tone of voice made it impossible to ignore.

Ryou looked over at his yami, a bit nervous.

Just hoping that Yami would take his plan well.

"We can… Go to the park!"

"The park?" White Mage did enjoy nature.

"Yes!" Ryou smiled, "…The three of us!"

There was a moment of unnerving silence.

"…_What?_" Yami snarled as he stood up straight on the seat.

White Mage's eyes widened as he stared at his master.

Ryou slowly began to regret his decision as he felt the other two's glares, directed right at him.

However, that wouldn't be enough to make him change his mind.

"I-It's no problem, right?"

Why had he even bothered to ask that?

Yami got up from the seat and stood right in front of Ryou, with cold eyes.

"Tell me exactly why you're dragging me out with the _two_ of you?"

Ryou gulped, "Well…"

"You, I can handle," Yami continued, putting a hand firmly on his host's head, "However, if you plan on torturing me with that stupid toy of yours…"

"H-Hey!" White Mage attacked the yami's hand until he let go of Ryou, "If this is what Master wants, then we should just… A-Accept it and go along!" He stuttered as he stood up for the other boy.

"…Hmph. Fine." Yami growled and went to get the long, black coat, which he often wore when he left the apartment.

"Thank-you…" Ryou smiled.

White Mage nodded, although he didn't really want Yami to come.

At all.

Even despite Yami's angered mood, and White Mage's confusion, Ryou was feeling quite proud of himself.

Seeing how the other two hadn't killed each other yet, perhaps Ryou's plan would actually work.

* * *

><p>There was a high tension as the walked down to the park.<p>

The annoyed silence between Yami and White Mage bothered Ryou.

Hoping to lighten up the mood, he quickly thought of a game, and ran over to White Mage, tapping him on the shoulder.

"…Tag, you're it!" He ran off and White Mage, having been born for games, got the idea right away.

Ryou had the mage chase him in a circle around Yami, as his way of grabbing his attention.

White Mage finally caught his prey, "Tag, Master!"

Ryou smiled, now aiming to get Yami in on the game.

He grinned and crept behind his yami.

He tackled Yami by the arm, "...Tag, Yami! You're it, now!"

White Mage stared at him, with terror filled eyes.

Yami glared down at the younger boy, evilly. "It, am I?"

"Yeah!" Ryou pouted, "That means you have to catch me…"

He would have ran off, however Yami jerked him back harshly by the arm. "I'm not in the mood to go chasing you."

"Oh-"

To White Mage's horror, Yami threw Ryou at the ground, then stomping on his head.

"Tag~." He grinned, cruelly, and continued walking as White Mage rushed over to see if Ryou wasn't too hurt.

"M-Master! Are you okay?"

Ryou groaned and pulled his head up.

This was going to be harder than he thought.

* * *

><p>Ryou had to think of something.<p>

Something that would help Yami and White Mage become friends.

But what could they possibly both enjoy?

* * *

><p>"Well, what now?" Yami scowled, after they made it to the park.<p>

"O-Oh, well…" Ryou stopped to think.

"You don't even have anything planned, do you?"

"Maybe Master's just having a hard time with his thoughts!" White Mage scowled, "…Since you tried to break his head open."

Yami laughed when he heard the mage's reasoning.

White Mage glared at him.

Of course he was right when he said Yami only cared about causing people pain.

"Well… We can play hide-and-seek!"

The other two stared at him.

"What are you trying to pull?" Yami snapped.

Ryou built up his courage and ignored Yami, continuing to speak. "I'll be it! So you guys go and hide, while I count to ten!"

He sat down on the swing, counting with his eyes covered.

White Mage ran off right away to hide inside of a house-like box in the playground.

Yami wasn't as into the game, and simply lounged back by a tree.

When Ryou finished counting, he giggled and went to search for his other selves.

He wandered around, looking for the mage, who may have hidden on a branch.

Ryou smiled when he discovered Yami, who hadn't been bothered with hiding too well. "I found you first, Yami!"

"So you did."

Ryou skipped over to the spirit, then poking him on the arm.

Almost acting on impulse, Yami pushed Ryou up against the tree, crushing the boy's throat in his grasp.

"Ack… S-Sorry…"

Yami scowled, not at all sorry for his actions, with no intentions of letting Ryou go.

Ryou blushed, slightly. "…S-So are you having fun?" He managed to croak out.

"No." Yami rolled his eyes, "And I don't have any interest in becoming friendly with your toy."

It took a while for Ryou to realize that Yami had known what he was trying to do.

White Mage tackled Yami from the legs, "Let Master go! Let Master go!"

Annoyed, Yami let Ryou drop and glared at the mage.

Ryou chocked, but eventually caught his breath. "…White Mage, you came out of hiding! That means I caught you by default!"

Yami and White Mage simply stared at him.

* * *

><p>Well.<p>

Even though he had only just begun, already, it seemed as if Ryou should simply give up.

Since Yami knew perfectly well what was going on, there wasn't much point to it.

Ryou had forgotten that Yami knew everything he did.

And so that's what Ryou did.

Give up.

He sat down on a bench, facing a pond.

He would have been joined by White Mage, however Yami beat him to it, using him as a footstool instead.

The mage had become angered by this, and ran off into a bush, where he watched them from there.

"Finally." Yami snickered.

Ryou sighed, "What's wrong with the White Mage, anyway?" He asked, while holding his head, suffering from a bit of a headache.

"What do you care?" Yami snapped.

"I just don't get it. …W-Why can't you just get along? " Ryou exclaimed, defensively.

Ryou's sudden change of mood made Yami laugh.

"That should be obvious." Yami got up from the bench and started down the hill.

Ryou moved quickly to follow, "Obvious? I don't understand."

Yami patted him on the shoulders with a sigh, as they walked. "Don't tell me you can't even think of one reason…"

Ryou blushed and shook his head.

The spirit snickered, "Well, for one thing, I don't see any reason to care for someone who's trying to take my host away."

And then, that said, Yami moved ahead of Ryou, who almost stopped walking in his attempt to make sense of what his darkness just said.

* * *

><p>As Yami Bakura walked into the apartment, he tosses the coat onto the table and fell back into the couch.<p>

Ryou came in through the door, followed by White Mage, a moment after.

He sighed and sat down in a seat across from Yami.

With a yawn, he leaned back, closing his eyes.

"…Whaah!" Being only in spirit form, Ryou fell right through the chair, "G-Guess I lost focus…"

He made a nervous laugh and pulled himself back up, managing to sit down again.

Yami made an amused chuckle, but other than that, he ignored the boy.

Ryou looked over to his yami and sighed.

White Mage peeked his head from behind the wall.

He had noticed that on the way back, Ryou's mood had changed completely since they left.

He blamed Yami, naturally.

"…Say, Master." He spoke up.

"Hm?"

White Mage ran over and pulled Ryou out from his chair.

He reveled the game box of Monster World that he was hiding behind his back, "Master, let's have a game!"

White Mage grinned in his attempt to make the other boy feel better.

"You'd like to play Monster World?" Ryou made a small smile.

"Well, I know that there's only two of us, so there will only be one adventurer, but I was hoping to level up some more, anyway… B-But even so, if you don't want to, then I'll play the Dark Master and you can be the adventurer!" The mage explained, "And I thought it would be fun…"

White Mage looked over at the yami, who had gone right back to studying the stone. "I don't think the game master Yami wants to play this round, which is fine. We can still have a fun adventure without him!"

Ryou blinked.

He giggled and took the Monster World box from the mage. "Alright then!"

White Mage laughed with him, "Thank-you, Master!"

Perhaps a nice game of role-play would lighten up Ryou's mood.

Or at least it could take his mind off things.

Before Ryou left with the mage, he smiled back at the ignorant yami.

Sooner or later, somehow, he would find a way so the three of them could play together.

Later, once he was done kicking White Mage's butt at Monster World.


	6. Yami's Pawn Thief King

Yami Bakura sat down on the throne in his soul room.

He snapped his fingers and a dark cloud appeared.

An Egyptian walked through and looked over at the other spirit.

Yami grinned when he saw the moving figment of his memory.

"Akefia Bakura, the king of thieves." Yami announced the man's name.

"Yes, that's me." Thief King blinked, wondering why Yami had called him from his memory. "What do you want?"

"I'd only like to confirm something about this stone." Yami held up the stone that he had been looking at for the past few days.

Thief King's eyes widened the moment he saw it, "You're going to use that?"

"Yes, why else would I have called you?" Yami rolled his eyes, "Now, since you obviously know about it, you should be able to answer this one simple question."

The King of Thieves nodded his head, eagerly.

"Good." Yami started, "Now tell me, will there be a host body needed for this?"

"A body?" Thief King thought to himself, "I'd imagine so. There's no point in bringing a spirit back if there's nowhere to put it. It doesn't have to already have a soul in it, it just has to be some kind of vessel."

Yami grinned, "Alright then. …That's all I needed you for."

He clapped and the Thief King's visible form tore itself up and the corpse disappeared into nothingness.

* * *

><p>Ryou yawned as he stretched he arms high into the air.<p>

"Ahh… Good morning!" He announced and got out of bed.

It felt nice to wake up in control every so often.

At the bottom of the bed, White Mage laid down, playing with Ryou's Monster World figures.

"…Good morning, Master!" He greeted, cheerfully.

The mage was also glad that Yami had given Ryou a little break. "I took another try at cooking earlier this morning, and I made you breakfast for when you want!"

"O-Oh… Thank-you!" Ryou giggled and got dressed.

Even he had to admit, having his own, self-proclaimed, servant around did have it's advantages.

Seeing how Ryou had taken care of himself for most of his life, it was nice to have a rest.

Though he didn't want the mage to overwork himself.

* * *

><p>"Oh… This is really good!" Ryou smiled as he took bites from the pawn's cheese omelet.<p>

"Well, I am a part of you!" White Mage blushed happily.

Yami Bakura materialized beside them, looking rushed.

"Oh, good morning, Yami!" Ryou grinned.

Yami ignored the greeting, "Landlord, there's something I need you to do."

Ryou swallowed what he was chewing on and looked over at his yami, with curious eyes. "You're asking me to do something for you…?"

"Of course."

"A-Alright, what is it?"

"As you know, I've been studying this stone for a few days since I found it in the museum." Yami took out the stone, "This… For lack of a better name, is a revival stone."

"Revival stone?"

Ryou and White Mage exchanged glances with each other.

"When used in a ritual, with everything needed for it, it'll have the power to bring someone back from the dead!" White Mage stated.

"That's correct, toy." Yami snickered, "Even someone from 3000 years ago…"

This caught Ryou's interest. "Who are you going to bring back to life from 3000 years ago?"

"I'm glad you asked!" Yami made a playful smirk, "My old pawn whom you met in my soul room."

White Mage gasped, remembering the spirit responsible for his death in Ryou's soul, "The Thief King Bakura?"

"Yes."

"So…" Ryou asked, shyly, "What were you wanting me to do?"

"…Ah, right." Yami went to explaining his host's assignment; "I want you to create a body for our new ally."

"C-Create a body?" Ryou blinked, "You mean like White Mage's body?"

"Yes. Exactly like that." Yami grinned, "They are both pawns, so how fitting would it be that they both reside in pawns?" He laughed.

Of course, there would be a purpose for Ryou's freedom.

"Okay, I'll do it." Ryou sighed and finished eating.

"Perfect." Yami went off, leaving the two alone.

* * *

><p>"Are you sure about this?" White Mage asked, nervously, as Ryou got everything he'd need to make a game piece.<p>

"Not really…" Ryou admitted, "But Yami has me interested, now. And it's not like I really have a choice by the end of the day."

He sat down and began to carve the clay into the shape of the man.

It surprised him that he could remember almost exactly what the king of thieves looked like.

Assuming that Yami would want it to look like the actual person.

"Well…" White Mage watched, a bit impressed by his master's skills with a knife, "I'm interested, too."

"Really?" Ryou smiled.

"Yeah, I can't help it!" The mage laughed, lightly, "I'm a mage, so things like this always catch my attention. I probably know more than the game master does."

"Oh, then you can help if anything goes wrong!"

White Mage nodded, "I'll try my best, Master!"

* * *

><p>When Ryou had gotten to painting the figure, Yami came in to check on them.<p>

"Everything's going well, I'll assume?" He leaned against the wall.

"Oh…" Ryou stopped what he was doing and turned to the yami with a smile, "Can you tell me what you think?"

Yami stood over Ryou, and took a look at his vessel's creation.

"Very good, Hikari." He complemented, "…Except."

"Except?" Ryou's voice sounded as worried as he was.

"The scar. He needs to have a longer scar." The spirit pointed to the left side of the pawn's face.

This was an easy fix, and Ryou answered to the problem right away.

Of course, even the smallest problems were important.

"Is it okay now?"

"Yes," Yami nodded with approval, "It looks fine now."

* * *

><p>After Yami left them again, Ryou smiled and continued working, "I might make a second piece to go with this, too…"<p>

"A second piece?" White Mage blinked.

"…For Diabound."

"Who's that?"

"The creature that I met in Yami's soul room, after you and the Thief King _died_." Ryou explained, while painting the Thief King's robe, "It attacked me."

White Mage's face became anxious.

"Yami said it's a monster that's attached to the Thief King, so… If he's revived, then Diabound might come back, too."

"Oh!" The thought hit White Mage, "I'd bet that's one of the reasons why the game master wants him to come back! So he can use the creature!"

"Yeah." Ryou nodded, "So I'll make a figure for Diabound, too. That way, if we have to, we can seal its soul inside of it using the Millennium Ring."

"Good thinking, Master."

It didn't take too long for Ryou to complete the clay host.

He put it on the window to dry, and got out another piece of clay to model.

He began carving the shape of the serpent's tail.

"Is that Diabound…?" White Mage stared at it, "I'm not sure if I'd want to meet it!"

"Mhm." Ryou mumbled as he worked.

"…What do you think the catch of all this is?"

"Catch?"

"Yeah!" The mage jumped up, "There has to be a catch of some kind to this! Cheating death isn't supposed to be easy! Usually there's something we'd have to give up in return."

"Oh… I'm not sure."

"Well," White Mage continued, "In our Monster World games, when I want to bring a friend back to life, I have to give up almost all of my power! What's going to happen in this world?"

"Well," Ryou stopped to think; "I don't think anybody does those kinds of rituals in this world, anymore… But I think they used to need things like candles. And a medium of some kind, which Yami will probably use the Millennium Ring. Or they might use blood for them."

"B-Blood?" White Mage gasped, "You mean we'll have to kill someone?"

"No, it shouldn't mean that… Just a drop would work."

"Why are we freely going along with this, again…?"

All he got for an answer was a quick shrug.

White Mage gulped, and then stopped asking questions.

* * *

><p>When Ryou finished, he put Diabound's pawn into his pocked and then, holding the pawn of the Thief King, left to meet Yami in the living room.<p>

"Good work." Yami grinned.

Ryou smiled after receiving the complement from his dark side.

Yami snatched the figure from his host and placed it on the table, next to a bowl, filled with a dark liquid.

Ryou looked around the room.

It did appear that everything was set up.

Though, something seemed missing.

It was a ritual, after all.

So, where were all the candles?

And there wasn't anything like a table that could be used for human sacrifice.

A puzzled look came over him.

Yami laughed, knowing what the boy was thinking, "I believe you've been reading too many horror stories, Landlord."

"…O-Oh." Ryou blushed and chuckled, nervously. "Maybe I have."

"So we won't be killing anybody?" White Mage had to admit, he was expecting much worse.

"Not for this." Yami tapped his hands on the coffee table. "We won't be calling fourth the forces of darkness today." Another laugh. "You could say that the stone will be doing all the work. We simply have to activate its powers."

Ryou nodded to acknowledge that he understood everything, "I see, Yami!"

"…What exactly _is_ the ritual?" White Mage became serious.

"Well…-"

"I'm hungry!" Ryou cried out, unexpectedly, as if to ruin the moment on purpose.

"…Landlord." The yami sent a glare to him.

"Ah, sorry." Ryou twirled a finger around in his white hair. "I'll go find something to eat, _then_we can summon the King of Thieves back from the dead! Okay?"

"Whatever." Yami lounged back on the couch.

Ryou ran off to the kitchen with a giggle.

"Master's really strange…" White Mage let out a small groan and followed the main personality.

* * *

><p>Marik Ishtar yawned as he watched crates or artifacts being loaded onto a plane.<p>

"Talk about boring…" He stretched out his arms, "I doubt these guys could work any slower!"

"Master Marik…" Odion Ishtar put a hand on his shoulder, "You could help if you wish."

"Yeah, but that's boring, too!" Marik escaped his adopted brother's grip and paced around. "No offence, but I want something exciting to happen during my last moments in Domino City!"

"If you're so bored, brother…" Ishizu Ishtar joined into their conversation, "You could go and find that stone."

Marik blinked, "Stone… You mean that stone that was lost a couple days ago? Ishizu, I didn't find that thing last time I looked, what makes you think I'm going to find it this time?"

Ishizu shook her head, "I sensed it."

"Sensed it…?" Marik questioned, "You can do that without the Millennium Necklace?"

The Millennium Necklace, which gives the bearer the ability to have visions.

"Something or other. It's not here, but it is in the city."

"Oh, 'cause that's just so much help!" Marik made a mocking voice.

"Marik… Just go look." Ishizu rolled her eyes and left to go give orders to some of the men.

Marik gave a quick sigh.

"You know, Master Marik…" Odion gave a brotherly smile, "If it'll help, why don't you check with the last person who was around when you were looking for it?"

"Hm? …Oh! Yeah!" The youngest sibling snapped his fingers, "You're right! If anyone's gonna have it, it'll be Bakura!"

"…Bakura?" Odion stared down at the smaller boy, not showing how nervous he really was to hear that.

"Thanks, Odion! I'll get on it right away!" Marik ran off to get his motorcycle.

"Be careful, you know how dangerous Bakura can be..." Odion sent him a warning, however Marik ignored him.

* * *

><p>Ryou took a few minutes raiding the fridge, and then after he and the mage went right back to the living room.<p>

Ryou sat down on the couch, stuffing his mouth with creampuffs and acted as if he never left at all. "Were you going to explain, Yami?" He asked, between bites.

"Of course I was." Yami groaned and went on with speaking. "Now, this will just be simple."

Ryou nodded.

"This liquid was just ordinary water. However, it has been tainted by darkness." Yami explained, tapping a finger over the edge of the bowl.

He then took hold of the stone; "To activate the stone, simply dip it into the liquid, along with the 'body'. All we'd have to do after that is to recite the spell needed for it. I've already looked into that."

"That's all?" White Mage blinked, "Wouldn't there be a risk to bringing someone back from the dead?"

"We'll have to wait and see." Yami cackled.

Ryou gave him a look. "…You mean you don't even know?"

"We have everything needed. There's nothing else to know."

Yami placed the stone down. "Now, what do you say get started?"

They sat down watching Yami.

"Now then…" Yami began, "Why don't you begin, Landlord?"

"Me?" Ryou pointed to himself.

"Who else?"

"Well, alright…" Ryou giggled quietly to himself.

He took the pawn host, dipping it into the tainted liquid.

Yami then spoke out a spell, which covered the doll with a golden glow.

Ryou put the doll back down, and placed the stone into the water. He let it sit as Yami called out the next spell.

The stone turned completely black.

"Call fourth… Thief King; Touzouku Akefia Bakura, from the realm of the shadows!"

The lights went out.

"Is this supposed to happen?" White Mage latched himself tightly onto Ryou's arm.

"Because I've totally done this sixty times before." Yami rolled his eyes.

A thin sheet of smoke covered the floors and built up until they made the shape of a man.

The spirit of the Thief King made a dark chuckle and took possession of the doll.

And then the lights turned back on again.

* * *

><p>"…Did you see him?" White Mage went over to the pawn and poked it in the head.<p>

The doll turned his head over to the mage and grinned.

"E-Eeep!" White Mage jumped back onto the couch and held onto Ryou's arm.

"Ah, pleased to meet you, Mr. Thief King." Ryou greeted the thief, politely.

"And you are?" The doll managed to speak on it's own.

"Me? My name is Ryou Bakura!" Ryou smiled.

He pointed over to his other selves, "This is White Mage, and that's my yami!"

"I see… And you have my name." Thief King crossed his arms, "I guess that would make us related."

Ryou grinned when he heard that.

Thief King took the time to look around the room. "Now, where am I?"

"Oh! Ah…"

Of course, the king of thieves wasn't from this time.

"That will be explained to you later." Yami laid back in his seat, growing bored of the idle chat. "First, I'd like you to try a thing or two."

"Like?"

"_First..._" Yami put a finger up, "Are you able to leave your body as a spirit?" He laughed, "Or should we have spent the time finding you a human host?"

Thief King didn't say anything and the pawn stopped moving.

Ryou grinned in interest when the thief's spirit appeared beside the coffee table.

"Guess I'm still considered dead, then." Thief King spoke in a whisper.

Yami made another loud laugh. "Good! The landlord's pawn will work just fine!"

* * *

><p>His laughter ended when they heard a knock on the door.<p>

"…It seems we have a guest." Yami snickered.

Ryou looked over to the yami as if to ask him if it would be alright to answer.

Yami gave a quick nod in response.

Ryou got up from his seat and ran over to the doorway, swinging it open.

"Cool! For a sec I thought this was the wrong place…" Marik stood there laughing.

"Marik?" Ryou tilted his head to the side, "Why are you here?"

"Well, we _were_ gonna be leaving, but Ishizu insisted that I go looking for that rock again…" Marik pressed the tips of his fingers together, "Heh, and something told be this would be just the place!"

"Ah, um…" Ryou sent a side-glace to the living room, "M-Maybe now isn't a good time."

"Why not? What are ya doing, anyway?"

"It's not…-"

"Oh, hello _Marik_." Yami appeared right behind his host, with a grin over his face.

"Hey, Bakura." Marik blinked, "Listen, do ya happen to have…"

"We have it, yes." Yami answered right away, "Why don't you come in for a while?"

"Yami…" Ryou pulled on his darkness's sleeve, "If he comes in, Marik will…"

Yami glared down at the younger boy. "Let him in."

"But, Ya-!"

"_Now, Hikari._"

Ryou gulped.

He turned to the other boy and bowed. "Sorry about that… It's fine if you come in. It's just that we have another guest here, so I'd appreciate it if you behave."

"Oh, is that all?" Marik laughed, "Ya don't have to worry about me."

* * *

><p>Yami smirked and lead them to the living room.<p>

Marik gasped when he saw the other two spirits. "Whoa… Who're they?"

"Oh…" White Mage got up, "I'm the White Ma-!"

"I am Touzouku." Thief King interrupted White Mage.

"Touzouku…" Marik stared at the tallest spirit, "King of Thieves, right?"

"Yes. Akefia Bakura." Yami laughed.

Thief King nodded, "And… Who are you?"

Marik crossed his arms, coolly, "I am Marik Ishtar, tomb keeper of the Nameless Pharaoh! And don't you forget it!"

Thief King scowled the moment he heard that, "The pharaoh…" He spat the name out.

"What, you got a problem with that?" Marik glared at the thief.

"Marik, don't upset him…" Ryou shook him by the shoulder.

Marik pushed Ryou off, harshly. "What are you, my mother? I think I can take care of myself!"

Yami laughed and slid behind the Thief King, speaking into his ear. "_Second..._"

"Hm?" Thief King put his attention on Yami.

Lifting up two fingers, Yami snickered, "Let's see… How well you have your _ka_under control."

"...So I should kill him?" Thief King grinned, not minding the idea at all.

Yami smirked, "Whatever you like."

"Listen…" The tomb keeper huffed, "I'm just here for the stone. So cough it up!"

"Oh, you can have it back. We won't be needing it anymore." Yami took the stone and tossed it over to Marik, who caught it without much trouble. "However, there's something we need you for."

"Huh?" Marik put the stone in his pocket, "Like I'm helping you with anything, tomb robber!"

"Oh, but you don't have any choice!" Yami stepped away from the Thief King, "But what do you say we make this a game?"

He grabbed onto Ryou's wrist and pulled him away from Marik.

"Yami? What are you going to do…?" Ryou asked, worried.

Yami ignored him and continued talking, "How about a game of tag? Let's see how fast you can run!"

Marik made a loud laugh, "Tag? You mean you're going to chase me? Now that I wanna see!"

"…You wish."

* * *

><p>A serpent's tail wrapped itself around Marik's legs.<p>

"…Wha?" Marik blinked.

He looked down at the ground, wide-eyed, "Wh-What is that?"

The creature came into full view as half man, half serpent.

Diabound's tail pulled back, slapping Marik against the ground.

"Marik!" Ryou exclaimed, and then looked over to Thief King, who was laughing.

"I-I'll save him!" White Mage ran off and jabbed his staff into the creature's skin.

Diabound knocked the mage away, letting Marik go in the process.

Marik got back onto his feet and made a run for it, "You're all a bunch of psychos, ya know that?"

"Well? Don't just stand there!" Thief King addressed the creature, "After the tomb keeper!"

Diabound growled and began its chase.

"…Shoot!" Marik stopped when Diabound blocked the exit.

Diabound made an attempt to grab him, however Marik quickly got out of the way.

The creature's tail tackled his feet, pushing him to the floor, and then whipping Marik over the back.

"Ah…" After deciding he saw enough, Ryou pulled away from Yami and pulled on Thief King's arms. "Please call Diabound back, now! Marik might really be hurt!"

"I could care less about the tomb keeper." Thief King rolled his eyes. "Besides, Diabound is having such fun! It's been thousands of years since we last had a thrill like this!"

"Yes, Landlord," Yami snickered, "Why don't you let the creature have it's fun?"

Ryou glared at them.

"…Let's go save Marik, White Mage!" He pulled out the pawn created for Diabound.

"Right!" White Mage nodded and they ran off to Marik's rescue.

"…Should we just let them go?" Thief King blinked.

"Whatever." Yami yawned, "I've seen what I want, anyway."

"Marik, are you okay?" Ryou and White Mage ran up to the injured boy.

"Do I _look_okay to you?" Marik snapped while trying to hold off Diabound's attacks.

Ryou lifted up the Millennium Ring to show to Marik, "I'll use this to seal Diabound away in a pawn I created!"

"…A toy?" Marik blinked, "You're gonna seal away a full blown monster in a toy? That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard, idiot!"

Ryou let out a small whimper, a bit taken back by the other boy's harsh comment.

"Don't say that to Master!" White Mage argued back, "If Master says he'll save you, then he will! …Okay?" He giggled, childishly.

Ryou smiled and nodded, "The Millennium Ring can seal away any kind of soul in any kind of object!"

"…Yeah, well hurry up!" Marik growled as he escaped from Diabound's grip.

Diabound snarled, grabbing hold of him with its hands and throwing him right at Ryou.

"Ah, look out!" Ryou and White Mage ran out the way.

"…You jerks!" Marik yelled at them, "I could've had a soft landing if you just stood still!"

"I'm… Sorry?"

White Mage stuck his tongue out at the impatient tomb keeper, "If Master gets hurt, he won't be able to save you!"

"Well, excuse me!" Marik groaned, blocking yet another attack, "…Gee, it's times like this when I wish I still had the Millennium Rod!"

Ryou set the clay figure down on the floor in the corner of the hallway.

He lifted up the Millennium Ring, which began to glow. "...Well, I'm not the best when it comes to shadow magic, but do what you do best, ring!"

He giggled and the ring zapped Diabound with a sudden energy.

White Mage helped Marik up to his feet as Diabound gave out a loud screech and disappeared into the figure.

"Whoa… It's gone!" Marik scratched the back of his head.

"Yup!" White Mage smiled, "I told you Master was going to save you!"

"Yeah, yeah."

* * *

><p>"…Oh, hello Yami!" Ryou smiled, seeing that Yami and Thief King had come out from the living room to watch.<p>

He went up to Yami, holding the figure. "Was that okay? I mean, usually you're the one using shadow magic, not me."

Yami ignored him and took the figure from Ryou's hands.

"…Hey, my _ka's _soul is in there!" The Thief King protested, "Give that to me!"

"You can have it when you need it." Yami snapped at his past self.

Ryou sighed softly, not expecting Yami to answer his question any time soon.

"…Hey!" Marik exclaimed, "You can't just sic a monster on me and then just ignore me!"

"I don't need you any more, you're free to go." Yami said.

Marik rolled his eyes.

Ryou smiled, "Well, you'll be going back to Egypt, right? At least now you have the stone back! …Even if it's been used."

"I doubt the value's still there." Marik frowned, "Though I guess an artifact's still an artifact." He left for the door, "Anyway, I'm leaving now before you psychos get any more ideas!"

Ryou blushed, not sure if Marik was referring to him or not.

He was sure to wave 'good-bye' to Marik Ishtar before leaving.

* * *

><p>"Well, now that he's gone, I guess we can relax now." Yami stretched out his arms.<p>

"…Hey, maybe now we can play some four-player games!" White Mage laughed.

"Maybe… But how about you people actually tell me a thing or two about this time before we do anything!" It wasn't as if the Thief King had died only yesterday.

It looked like things were going to get a lot livelier in the Bakura residence.

Ryou sighed.

What he wouldn't do for some more cream puffs.


	7. Yami's Newest Plot

The apartment felt crowded now that the Thief King Bakura was added to the picture.

Of course, technically, Ryou lived alone in a small apartment that was maybe big enough for two people to live in comfortably.

Not that Ryou had the money for a bigger home.

And if he did, wouldn't it have been strange for a boy his age to be living "all by himself" in a big house?

* * *

><p>It was the first day of school, after a week-long holiday.<p>

Though, of course, Ryou had spent about half of it sealed away in his soul room while his yami ran around in his body.

The morning had been surprisingly quiet, probably because everyone was tired from all the excitement of yesterday.

At least, Yami Bakura seemed tired.

He laid back with a yawn, and was probably plotting quietly to himself.

White Mage Bakura was his usual, helpful self.

He helped Ryou get ready for the school day, and the two made breakfast together.

The Thief King didn't interfere with Ryou too much, only asking the odd question here or there, asking Ryou what he was doing, or how he did it.

The past day, after Marik Ishtar left, had been used to give the Thief King a brief introduction of everything in the apartment.

He was mostly interested in the TV.

Wondering if it was some kind of box animated by shadow powers.

Ryou giggled when he heard that.

* * *

><p>"Where did you say you were going, again?" Thief King blinked as Ryou ate breakfast.<p>

"I'm going to school…" Ryou's answer sounded more like a quiet mumble.

"Can't hear you." Thief King's eyes narrowed.

"Master is going to school to learn and see his friends!" White Mage replied with a smile.

Yami gave a low laugh, "Says our own personal encyclopedia."

White Mage frowned.

Ryou twirled his hair around, nervously. "Say, Mr. Thief King… You could come with me. If you like, of course."

Thief King snorted, "I'm not interested in 'learning' or 'seeing your friends'." He turned the TV off, "…And honestly, I'm surprised someone like you has friends."

This statement hit Ryou like a slap in the face.

Yami burst out laughing.

He got out from his seat and leaned against the table beside Ryou.

He looked as if he wanted to add another, equally harsh, comment, but decided not to. "Actually… Why don't you go with Hikari, today?"

"What?" Thief King scoffed.

"You heard me!" Yami rolled his eyes.

Ryou watched awkwardly as Yami ran his fingers through his hair. "…Besides, it's very _rude_ of you to ignore the landlord's wishes."

"You do that all the time-!" White Mage exclaimed, allowing himself to get caught into the mini argument.

Yami glared at the mage, darkly.

He didn't need to say anything for the mage to silence himself and put Ryou's dish away.

Thief King looked almost as awkward as White Mage.

He sighed, "Fine, if you really want me to waste my time…"

"Oh don't think like that…" Yami grinned, with a face full of triumph, "I'm sure you'll find his _friends_… Interesting."

Ryou winced, not liking how Yami had said "friends".

He got up from the table and got his things together, "So, you are coming, then? D-Do you know where your body is?" He asked, just to be sure.

"Of course I know where my own bloody body is! Not that this doll could ever really count as one!" Thief King snapped, grabbing the small clay figure.

Ryou giggled, nervously. "Sorry."

"Don't bother apologizing." The Thief King handed the figure to Ryou and quickly possessed it. "Just hurry up and get there! I hate this vessel!" The animated doll shook his fist up into the air.

"You should hurry, Master…" White Mage nodded, adding onto the king of thieves' statement, "You'll be late if you wait any longer!"

"Ah, you're right!" Ryou laughed, embarrassed.

It wasn't as if he could tell the teacher he was late because he was too busy speaking with the three spirits living in his small apartment.

Ryou ran out the door, holding Thief King in one hand, waving 'good-bye' with the other.

* * *

><p>"You're staying here?" White Mage blinked after Ryou left, "Usually you stalk Master to school…"<p>

"Oh, don't say it like you're disappointed!" Yami snickered at the mage's obvious discomfort, "I thought you didn't want me to go after him."

"W-Well, I don't like being around you!" White Mage stomped a foot on the ground to exaggerate his point, "Master and the Thief King both left, so now I'm stuck with you!"

"Oh, but we're going to have so much fun while the landlord is gone…" Yami grinned.

White Mage gulped.

* * *

><p>Ryou sunk into his desk at school, after having to come up with an interesting story to why he was so late, which the Thief King found very amusing.<p>

He sat the pawn down on the corner of the desk and the Thief King left the figure.

"I think you ought to learn some more stories." Thief King chuckled.

"_I'm sorry?_" Ryou thought, over a mind-link.

Obviously he wouldn't be talking to himself in the middle of class.

* * *

><p>As school went on, Thief King had gotten bored after Ryou decided to focus more on class, rather than talking to him.<p>

As Ryou took notes, Thief King was forced to find other ways to entertain himself.

He walked around the room, fully aware that the students couldn't see him, waving his hands through their faces and doing other various acts.

He lounged on three desks and yawned, "How can you just sit there for so long?"

Ryou slightly blushed and ignored the spirit.

* * *

><p>At long last, lunch came and Ryou was relieved from his morning classes.<p>

Ryou unpacked the decently sized lunch that White Mage had made for him, plopping a grape in his mouth.

"Mmm, I'm hungry." He smiled, pathetically.

"I can see that." Thief King rolled his eyes.

The thief's attention shifted from his descendant to the other host across the room talking to his friends.

His eyes narrowed.

"Hm?" Ryou stopped eating for a second to see who the thief was looking at. "Ah, that's my friend, Yugi."

"Yugi?"

Ryou nodded.

Thief King didn't look so convinced.

This "Yugi" person looked much like someone he once knew in a past life…

Someone he was not found of at all.

Ryou packed his lunch in his arms and skipped over to the group of friends. "Ah, hello!" He called.

"Bakura?" Yugi rubbed his eyes and smiled, "That last lesson was pretty hard, I'll be surprised if I pass this next exam."

"Hm? Well, it's easy if you really think about it!" Ryou exclaimed, happy to give his friend advice, "If you need homework help, I'd be glad to-"

"Huh? Oh, I didn't mean it like that." Yugi rubbed the back of his head, "I don't think I'll be needing your help or anything…"

"Oh…" Ryou's excitement went down the drain, "Well, that's still good. I know you'll do just fine in the test!"

Yugi nodded, "Yeah, I've been studying extra hard just for this! I know I'm going to ace it!"

The Thief King lounged beside Ryou, cautious as the two hikaris spoke.

Now that he had a closer look at the boy, he could see the golden puzzle hanging from his neck.

"That's the Millennium Puzzle." Thief King said under his breath.

"_Er, yes. It is._" Ryou answered over the mind-link.

"Which means…"

"Hey, Bakura!" Joey waved a friendly 'hello'.

Ryou grinned at the taller boy, "Yes, hello Joey!"

"Eh, what do ya have for lunch?" Joey reached out and took a sandwich from Ryou's arms.

"Ah?" Ryou blinked as Joey took a bite out of it.

"…Hey, what's in this thing?" Joey slapped the sandwich onto the table, "Who puts cream in with mustard? You gotta have some pretty weird taste buds, dude."

Of course, White Mage couldn't exactly taste the food he made.

Ryou stared at the blond for a little while.

"…What?" Joey mumbled, "O-Oh." He slid the sandwich over the table towards Ryou, "You wanting that back now?"

"Er, n-no. It's fine." Ryou looked down at the half-eaten sandwich.

He could hear Thief King snicker behind him.

Ryou frowned.

"Hey, Yugi," Tea poked the shortest of the group on the shoulders, "Did you say you had everything ready? It's not like we have all the time in the world!"

"Huh?" Yugi tilted his head to the side, "Oh! Yeah, I'm good to go!"

"Cool, all I have to do is get my things together!" Joey joined in their conversation, forgetting about Ryou for the moment.

Ryou and Thief King exchanged glances.

"This is so exciting!" Tea was practically jumping up and down, "I've always wanted to see it!"

"S-See what?" Ryou cut into the conversation, though was ignored all the same.

"Yeah, I haven't been on a vacation in forever!" Yugi smiled, full of cheer.

"Um, I hope you don't mind me asking, but…" Ryou made an attempt to get everyone's attention, "What exactly is going on?"

"Mm?" Yugi blinked, "Oh… We're going to a really cool valley in the mountains!"

"Yeah!" Tristan commented as he walked by the desk, "And we might even take part in the dueling competition there! There's a prize of over a million dollars and everything!"

Ryou blinked, "A-A dueling competition? Another one? Didn't you just come back from one?"

"Yeah!" Yugi put on a large smile, "I'm really looking forward to it!"

"Oh…"

"Ah, I'm just so excited!" Tea clasped her hands with a dreamy look over her face, "It's suppose to be beautiful there!"

"Hey, Bakura, have ya ever seen the mountains and the valleys and… Stuff?" Joey shook Ryou lighting over the shoulder.

Ryou giggled and shook his head, "Once when I was very young. I've done quite a bit of traveling."

"Oh…" Joey grinned, "Well, ya should go again sometime."

Ryou nodded, "Yes, I think I will someday."

He looked back over to the Theif King, after realizing how quiet the ancient spirit had been.

Thief King sat there on the closest desk, studying Yugi.

What an odd thing to say,

"Studying Yugi."

Ryou blushed silently, but then gave himself a mental slap for such thoughts.

He turned back to listen to his friend's conversations, relieved that they hadn't noticed him staring off into space.

He sighed as the friendly group began going over everything they would need for a trip.

Having nothing better to do, Ryou finished eating his lunch.

* * *

><p>"Quite some group of friends you have there." The king of thieves laughed as Ryou was walking home, "Can't say I ever pictured them as the type of people you'd hang out with."<p>

"Mmm, really?" Ryou yawned and stretched his arms out, "I like my friends. They're there for me…" He was sure to add a quick, "And I'd rather keep them." In case he knew what the thief was going to try to pull.

Thief King chuckled to himself with an amused face, "Sure, because it's always the best of friends who go off on all these travels and adventures without inviting the lesser of the group."

Ryou winced at the spirit's words, but shrugged it off.

He knew perfectly well that he was third-wheel in the group, but they were the only friends that he really had.

So Ryou was going to do whatever it took to keep his friends,

Fake friends or not.

"They have a lot on their minds." He decided to defend them, "At least Yugi does. He's possessed, too, you know."

This caught the thief's attention, "Possessed? There's a spirit in the puzzle, as well?"

Ryou nodded to confirm his answer, "Mhm, the pharaoh."

Thief King stopped.

Ryou looked back at him, and instantly regretted saying that.

"…Pharaoh." Thief King spat out the word, venomously.

The host gulped, nervously.

"I should've known… Even in this time, he's here to haunt me."

What was about a moment of awkward silence, soon ended when the Thief King Akefia burst into hysterics, laughing like no tomorrow.

"Yeah, you're pretty smart, Ryou!" Thief King cackled, "Getting on the pharaoh's good side! I wouldn't expect anything less from my own descendant! Now all we have to do is wait for the right moment…"

"Wh-What?" Ryou stuttered, "B-Bu-But I n-never said…"

"Looks like the Gods are in my favor after all!" Thief King ignored the smaller, paler boy, "Or just Zorc. Either way it looks like we have some work to be done!"

He made an impatient gesture to say to "hurry up", and Ryou sighed, running ahead back to the apartment.

* * *

><p>Yami was waiting for them at the door with that famous smirk on his face.<p>

"Oh... We're back, Yami!" Ryou greeted his darkness with a slight blush.

"Perfect." Yami pulled Ryou closer to him and quickly possessed the boy.

"Can't even wait until we're in the door, can you?" Thief King crossed his arms with an amused grin.

"There's just a thing or two I need to get." Yami gave a straight answer as he put on his favorite, black, trench coat.

"…What?" White Mage called out from inside, "Don't take Master the moment he walks through the door! He might have homework!"

"Oh trust me, nothing exciting happened!" Thief King yelled back at the mage, not bothering to ask why on earth he was tied up on the couch.

"How was your school day, anyway?" Yami laughed.

Thief King shook his head and rolled his eyes, "Oh, I'm sure you know perfectly well what happened, don't you."

A pleased grin reached the yami's face and he walked past Akefia, right out the door.

Now that it was only the two of them, Thief King looked over to the mage sitting, tied up.

He still refused to ask.

* * *

><p>Yami wasn't the world's greatest thief for nothing.<p>

He looked around in the local art store, picking up large amounts of clay and other art supplies.

"I-I don't think I need that much clay, Yami…" Ryou followed him around in spirit form.

"Oh, but you will." Yami examined the stolen goods, taking all precautions so that he wouldn't be caught.

Ryou sighed, "You know, you could just buy it... I-I don't want to get in trouble for stealing."

Yami rolled his eyes and ignored his host's whining.

He stuffed the items in the inside of his coat and went off to make his grand escape.

Ryou pouted, not that his yami wasn't the best thief ever.

Other than maybe the Thief King himself, but that was the yami's past self.

"Why do we need all of this?" Ryou decided not to hide his curiosity.

Yami laughed.

He was going to bring it up anyway.

"Because I have a job for you, Landlord." Was his answer.

Ryou blinked, "A job? For me? You'd like me to make something for you?"

Yami laughed again, "Yes. I want you to create a model."

His host smiled, "Ooh, a model…?"

"You could say I've decided to add onto your world…"

"The game world?" Ryou skipped along, cheerfully.

"Yes, I would just like to add to your little world. I want you to make a model of Egypt, and mix it with Monsley Kingdom. Just a little thing I'll be experimenting with." Yami explained and somehow managed to disappear into the darkness with Ryou's body.

Well, at least they wouldn't be caught at the checkout.

"So…" Ryou followed his yami out along the sidewalk, "Basically, you want to bring back the Dark RPG."

"Perhaps."

* * *

><p>Yami was in a surprisingly good mood,<p>

Perhaps because he finally had his plot ready, so he could get the Millennium Puzzle for himself.

He had the idea for the past few days,

And he had been thinking to himself…

The last time he played the Dark RPG against the pharaoh, the only thing that had truly stood against him was his own host.

But not this time…

This time, Ryou was going to be the Dark Game Master with him.

Even though he honestly couldn't figure out how he had decided that it would be a good idea to include his pathetic excuse for a host.

The idea of partners sickened him.

He wasn't going to let that idiot pharaoh get to him.

The pharaoh and his host were _partners_, and Yami hated the pharaoh.

No, Yami was simply going to make sure that Ryou wouldn't have the time to get any bright ideas when he was so close to winning.

And why start another RPG?

That was one thing he and his Hikari had in common.

Role-play was their favorite.

Duel Monsters always seemed more like a tool for world domination, where as RPG was his favorite hobby.

So why not?

Now seemed like a perfect time.

* * *

><p>Yami couldn't seem to wipe the smug look off his face for the whole way back.<p>

Ryou following him, quite thrilled about the idea of making another world for himself to play in.

* * *

><p>When they got back to the apartment, Yami quickly reminded Ryou of his job and then granted his host control.<p>

"Oh… Back already?" Theif King leered over at them.

"Mhm! Yami just stole some things!" Ryou nodded.

"Well, that part was obvious." Thief King snickered.

Yami rolled his eyes.

Ryou blinked, "…Why is White Mage tied up?"

White Mage sent glares to everyone in the room, "Why is that the third time anyone has wondered that, and yet I'm still here?"

"Shut up, Toy." Yami gave a half-hearted reply.

Ryou quickly untied the pouting mage and the two of them went into the game room.

* * *

><p>The game room was always the liveliest place in the Bakura apartment.<p>

There were two tables, one where Ryou would make his creations, and one in the very middle of the room.

The center of attention,

Where the Monster World game board sat.

A little world, Monsley Kingdom, sat there for all to see:

Ryou's world…

"Now you have to make a whole world?" White Mage gasped.

Ryou giggled at his small friend. "Yuppers! Yami's wants me to make Egypt, then mix it in with Monsley Kingdom."

"Egypt and Monsley Kingdom? That's a really strange combination…"

Ryou shook his head, "Well, I think it's a neat idea…"

He played around with the clay, building random figures as he thought.

White Mage sighed, "Oh, while you were at school, a letter came for you."

"A letter?" Ryou blinked.

"Mhm. From your father."

"Oh…" Ryou stopped for a moment.

"I-I'll go get it." White Mage smiled and ran off to get said letter.

He came back no sooner than he left, and handed the piece of paper to his creator.

Ryou sat back in his seat and read through the letter.

It had been a good year or so since he had last heard from his father.

He sighed.

* * *

><p>His father had always been the type, who obsessed over work,<p>

And the few moments where Ryou had actually gotten to spend time with his father,

He was usually drunk.

It didn't seem like it, but Ryou had once been wealthy, back when he was a child living in Britain.

It was from his mother's side of the family.

But after his mother and sister died, his father had lost it.

Which was the reason why Ryou was -almost- all alone in Japan.

But it was nice to receive letters from his father every-so-often.

* * *

><p>"What does it say?" White Mage leaned over to read from Ryou's shoulder.<p>

However, just as quickly as he had opened the letter, he slapped it closed before crumpling the paper up and tossing it to the other side of the room.

White Mage blinked, "…Is something wrong?"

Ryou sighed, and went back to work. "Father was drunk when he wrote it."

"Oh… Sorry, Master."

"Ah, it's fine." Ryou forced himself to smile, hiding his annoyance.

If his father was going to send him a letter, he'd might as well do it while he was sober.

* * *

><p>Thief King burst into the room, in quite the mood.<p>

Yami followed him in and leaned back against the door with a smirk.

"So, I heard you're making Egypt, right?" Theif King was almost jumping out of his skin in excitement, "Are you going to tell me the plan?"

"Plan?"

"You heard me! How is it going to work?"

"O-Oh!" Ryou giggled, "Well, the two boards will be set side-by-side. Certain squares will actually be traps that will teleport the adventurers from world-to-world."

"That's… Interesting." Thief King replied, not being exactly knowledgeable about some of the bigger words that Ryou had used.

Whatever "teleport" means.

"Yup! I'm really looking forward to this…" Ryou yawned, "…Oh! But no killing players!" He quickly told his yami.

Yami snickered to himself, whispering quietly, "…You won't be saying that for long, Landlord."

* * *

><p>Ryou worked through the whole night, putting together models of cities and villages, along with a large palace.<p>

It was in the middle of the night; long after White Mage went back to his soul room, and the Thief King became more interested with the TV again, when he fell fast asleep in his chair.

Yami slipped in and took a look at the boy's creation.

"Kul Elna could use with some work, but so far so good…"

The darkness sighed and looked over to his sleeping host.

A small grin reached his face as he stroked the boy's hair.

He bent over; kissing Ryou softly on the head, "Sleep well, Hikari. You'll need it."

And then he left.


	8. Yami Puts His Hikari To Work

Ryou Bakura awoke with a yawn that was hard on his throat.

Surely he didn't have a cold or anything…

No, he had just been sleeping on a hard chair and leaning his head against a stiff table all night.

His neck ached and he cracked it without thinking twice. "…Oops, that's a bad habit to get into." He had to remind himself.

What time was it, anyway?

He glanced at the small clock on the wall above him...

Three in the morning.

Yikes.

Ryou looked over to what he had been working on.

The model of Egypt that his yami wanted him to make, and a sheet of paper with a small paragraph of what Ryou had come up with for the RPG's plot line so far.

Yami was planning to add it onto the Game World and bring back the Dark RPG,

And it probably wouldn't be the first time he'll be using the model.

Yami Bakura was going to trap the souls of Ryou's friends inside of game pawns, and challenge the Pharaoh…

He knew it.

Even if Ryou wanted to believe that Yami simply wanted to play a nice, fair game of RPG, he knew that would never be the case.

So the question remained:

Why was Ryou helping him?

Ryou loved his friends and never wanted any harm to ever come to them…

Especially if it was by his own hands.

So why was he doing it?

Simple…

Because it wasn't every day that his darkside asked something of him.

Lately Yami had wanted Ryou to do quite a bit.

First the creation of the Thief King Bakura's host,

Then the creation of a whole new model;

A new world.

Before not too long ago, the most Yami wanted of him was to simply be a good host and not to get in his way.

But now Ryou was a part of everything…

Even if none of these tasks were exactly for the better, and Ryou felt guilty for helping his yami by making future evil deeds possible,

He was a part of it.

No longer was he being kept in the dark.

Not that he wanted to betray his friends…

But the feeling of being useful to his yami for reasons other than simply providing a body was wonderful.

* * *

><p>Ryou smiled at the thought as he began toying with the tree model he had been working on before he fell asleep.<p>

He yawned again and numbly stirred the now-dry green paint.

He certainly wasn't expecting a cold hand to come and take hold of his shoulder.

Ryou jumped on his seat with a squeal and turned to see Yami looking down at him.

"O-Oh… Good morning, Yami…" He blushed, embarrassed.

Yami rolled his eyes, "Dammit, Landlord, you _do_ know what time it is, right?"

"Yes… It's early."

"Tell me how early it is."

It took Ryou a few seconds to notice his darkness' mocking tone and he bit his lip before quietly answering, "…Three-twenty in the morning."

"Correct." Yami crossed his arms, "Now, shouldn't you be asleep?"

Ryou wasn't really sure why he cared so much. "Sorry…"

Yami sighed and went to leave, "Whatever. Just go back to sleep in your own bed… And don't bother going to school today."

The younger boy blinked.

Yami didn't want him to go to school?

He expected him to work on the model all day?

Wouldn't Yugi be suspicious if Ryou was missing?

"…Oh please, as if the pharaoh's vessel would even notice you're gone." Yami answered his thoughts for him and then disappeared.

Ryou slouched into the chair with a sigh.

Yugi wasn't like that.

He had a yami, too.

That's what Ryou liked about him.

They knew what each other was going through, and they could understand each other to a certain extent.

And even if he didn't care, he couldn't ever ignore a friend in need.

Yugi's just a good person like that.

* * *

><p>Eventually Ryou forced himself to get up and slowly made his way to his room.<p>

He fell down onto the bed, not bothering to get undressed and snuggled up comfortably in the blankets.

He was fast asleep long before Yami appeared, sitting down on the corner of the bed, watching him with a smirk.

* * *

><p>"Master?"<p>

It was about six thirty in the morning now and the sun was now viable from the horizon.

White Mage Bakura jumped onto the bed, lightly pushing Ryou's shoulder, "Master, you should wake up now…"

"Mmm…" Ryou moaned lightly and turned over to his stomach.

"Master…?" White Mage blinked.

What else could he do?

He got onto his feet and stood on the bed,

Bouncing a few times before pouncing up and landing right on top of Ryou.

Ryou shot up from the shock of impact with the little spirit, "E-Eeep!"

"Ah… S-Sorry, Master." White Mage blushed before sliding off of his other half.

Ryou yawned, brushing away the long, matted hair that covered his face, "It's okay… I think I need to brush my hair."

"O-Oh! I can do it!" White Mage scooted off the bed and skipping over to where a small, old-fashioned hairbrush laid.

He giggled and crawled behind Ryou, taking a strand of his abnormally feminine hair and combing through it. "So what do you want for lunch today?"

"Oh…" Ryou winced as his hair was tugged back in the mage's attempt to put a brush all the way through it, "You don't need to make me anything. …I'm not going to school today."

White Mage paused and gave Ryou an uneasy look, "Wh-What? Why not?"

Ryou shook his head, leaning into his hand, "Yami told me to stay home today to work on the model…"

The mage's face turned a bright red and he stomped his feet on the bed behind him, "What? Why would he do that? You're not seriously gonna listen to that stupid yami, are you?"

Ryou winced, "Well… The model is still important…"

"Master, Yami's going to use that model to hurt your friends! How is it important?" White Mage snapped, bouncing on the bed as he waved his arms in the air.

Oh right.

"A-Ah… Well…" Ryou stuttered, pressing the tips of his fingers together, "I… I want to be helpful…"

White Mage calmed down and his anger was replaced by curiosity, "Helpful…? You want to be helpful to the Dark Game Master?"

Ryou made a small smile, "Yes. Th-Though I'd never plan to harm anyone."

He made a nervous laugh and took the mage's hands; "Y-You'll help me, won't you?"

White Mage made a quick huff and pouted, "Of course I will, but I won't like it!"

* * *

><p>After getting dressed for the new day and putting his hair up in a nice ponytail, Ryou went out and peeked his head slowly into the living room to see if the other two spirits were there.<p>

The living room was empty.

Ryou stood there, dumbfounded.

He would have at least expected to see the Thief King Bakura gaping at the TV again.

"Master?" White Mage tilted his head with a curious face.

"Oh." Ryou laughed, blushing, "Did you happen to see Yami or Akefia today at all?"

The mage scowled and shook his head, "No. And I don't want to know what they're up to."

Ryou sighed, "I should probably get to work, then."

He ran off, back into the game room.

"Don't you want breakfast, Master?" White Mage chased after him, receiving a silent nod for an answer, and then he ran off to the kitchen with a pleased smile.

* * *

><p>Where had the two spirits gone?<p>

Oh my…

Ryou really hoped they weren't out there, 'causing any kind of trouble.

Then again, didn't Yami need a host before he could do anything too bad?

Thief King, on the other hand…

Oh, just what could they possibly be doing?

Ryou nervously bit into his fingernails as he got his paint ready.

It wasn't as if he could do anything.

He didn't even know where they were.

They might not have even left.

For all he knew, they could simply be in their soul rooms.

That was enough to calm him down.

No need to get anyone worked up over nothing.

* * *

><p>The little mage came back with a simple bowl of cereal, placing it on the table beside his other half.<p>

"Mmm, thanks." Ryou didn't bother to give eye contact.

In fact, he didn't even bother to look at the bowl.

He simply continued working on the model.

White Mage frowned, "I can't believe he doesn't want you to go to school…" He numbly chewed on his cheek, "…No, I can't believe you're listening to him."

Ryou didn't answer the mage.

Mostly because he didn't know how to answer.

School was one of the most important things to him, so Ryou honestly didn't know why, himself.

The model that he had only started yesterday was already acting like an addiction.

Was there something in the paint that he was sniffing?

_No, don't be silly_, he told himself, surpassing a giggle.

"What will the story be?" White Mage sighed, partly wishing that the table wasn't so high.

The sudden change of topic snapped Ryou back to reality. "Story?"

"Yes!" White Mage grinned, after all whatever story Ryou and Yami come up with would be his next grand adventure.

Something White Mage always looked forward to, no matter who the game master was or what his intentions were. "The story for the RPG! Can you tell me what lies ahead for the heroes?"

"Oh… I have a few ideas." Ryou chuckled and made a weak smile, "I think you'll like it."

White Mage smiled, practically bouncing with excitement as if he were a little child on Christmas morning.

"Maybe while I'm creating the new model…" Ryou sent a glance over to the model that was already sitting on the table, "You could go to Monsley Kingdom and spread the word… You know, that the heroes will be returning."

"You want me to go to the game world and visit the village?"

"Please do!" Ryou got up and took out the mage's body, "I wrote a little bit of the intro story on the computer, so the game world will be affected that way. You might even get some spoilers." He giggled.

"Ooh, I'll try to avoid that!" White Mage nodded, though he would actually be quite happy to learn as much as he can.

* * *

><p>The mage quickly possessed the pawn with glee and Ryou chuckled, going over to the table and placing the clay doll into the village.<p>

He reached out, pulling the cover of the village aside to reveal the bar and inn.

Once Ryou was finished and pleased with the mage, he went back to his own job.

The game world certainly was a different place since the defeat of Zork.

The land didn't seem so dark anymore, with the sky being a mixture of many brighter colours, and the NPC villagers were all in brilliant spirits.

Oh how happy they would all be when the return of the heroes would be revealed.

White Mage giggled, full of cheer.

From inside the game world, you couldn't see the real world, unless someone from the real world makes an action that affects the world, or if they address you.

That was how the fourth wall worked.

Though most of the citizens of Monsley Kingdom were well aware of the real world, they never thought of it as such, simply referring to it as the Heavens.

White Mage had always loved the concept of the real world being Heaven…

Because that's where his wonderful master was, of course.

White Mage clumsy pushed the door to the bar open.

Everyone would be in here, waiting to hear his word.

When he closed the door behind him, he was met by several sets of eyes.

The townspeople all seemed to stare at him, some letting out little gasps.

"Ah, hello." White Mage greeted them, not wanting to be rude.

The barkeeper scurried over to him, quickly bowing. "Yes, hello there, y-your majesty! What may we do for you?"

White Mage blinked, full of confusion.

"Your majesty"?

Ryou had made him king?

Honest and true…?

White Mage blushed before getting himself into character and answering the other NPC, "I've come here on my own to grant upon you all great news. Though, I don't suppose I could have a little something to drink, could I?"

The villagers exchanged glances before the barkeep nodded, "Ai, alright. And what be the news? …Come, sit!"

He lead White Mage to a seat at the end of a long table, sending orders to a waitress to bring a drink to the mage.

White Mage smiled, "Okay. Now listen to my tale and listen well."

Curious villagers surrounded the table, making it difficult for the waitress to return with the warm glass of milk that she carried, though she did managed to set it down in front of the king mage.

White Mage thanked her and continued with his job, "An angel told me about this in a dream of mine," He still had to play his role, "…That the great heroes who I aided in battle against the evil Zorc will soon be returning to this land!"

It only took seconds for the roars of cheer and applause filled the sweet air and White Mage took a sip from his drink.

He felt completely at home here in the game world.

And now he was the king and everything.

Master was much too kind to him.

But… Just how was White Mage being king of Monsley Kingdom going to fit into the Dark RPG?

What exactly was going to become of the mage?

White Mage had to admit, he was more curious than any of those villagers combined.

"So what are we going to do to welcome them?" White Mage lifted his cup into the air.

The NPCs reacted almost right away, doing the same with their glasses; "We'll welcome them with the grandest festival of their lives!"

The mage smiled, liking the idea of having a big party, "Okay! We'll have a big festival right here in the village, and there's not going to be anyone left out!"

White Mage giggled, watching everyone talk amongst themselves.

After all the attention had shifted from the mage king, to making plans for the arrival of the heroes, White Mage laid back in his seat and chugged his milk down with both hands.

He felt rather silly being a king, though not looking anything like one.

Even so, thus was his role.

After finishing his milk, and seeing that his job was done, White Mage slid from his chair and skipped over to the door.

He waved, though when he noticed that none of the other pawns were paying any real attention, he went on ahead out the door.

* * *

><p>When Ryou noticed that the mage was finished, he giggled and retrieved him from the game world.<p>

White Mage smiled and left his body, hugging onto Ryou's leg, "Ooh, I can't wait for the RPG, Master!"

"So you like your role?" Ryou said, scratching the back of his head, "For a second I thought you wouldn't, but I guess I was making the story up as I went along!"

"Mmm, well, I hope I'll do a good job." White Mage blushed, leaning his head against his master's leg.

"You'll do fine! Now I just have to think of a role for the Thief King…"

White Mage let go of Ryou, letting him go back to the table. "…I'll help!" He grinned, full of excitement.

Ryou laughed at how quickly the pawn had been won over and nodded, "Alright, then!"

* * *

><p>"Hey, wouldn't we need Ryou for this?" The Thief King Bakura stretched out his arms, watching his partner-in-crime go about with his plotting.<p>

Yami rolled his eyes and smirked, "You don't need a host for everything, my friend."

"Oh really?" Thief King crossed his arms, coolly, "So, I guess you just take over poor little Ryou at every chance you get because you enjoy the _feel of it_, then."

Yami twitched and sent a harsh glare over to his past self, "…_What_?"

"Oh nothing, nothing at all. ~" The thief answered in a sing-song sort of voice, "Now, you were saying?"

Yami made a loud huff and quite happily changed the topic back to what it was before. "Yes, anyway…"

He led the other spirit over closer to their prey.

* * *

><p>The group of friends they were following had stopped to talk over by the Kame Game Shop, probably for lunch.<p>

Yugi laughed, full of cheer as he read out loud some extra features of the small ticket, which he held in his hands.

* * *

><p>Yami grinned, spying his target. "You told me that the Pharaoh's brat was going on a little trip, did you not?"<p>

"Yeah, that's what I said." Thief King chuckled, "So I'm guessing that we're gonna go ruin it for him, correct?"

"Precisely, because we don't want our dear, beloved heroes to suddenly go someplace fun and make us wait to play our little game..."

"Heh, you're such an impatient little witch, aren't you?" Thief King teased.

Yami sent another glare over to him, "Careful what comes out of your mouth, pawn."

"Oh you know you love it."

Yami rolled his eyes and moved on ahead, fully aware that the group of brats wouldn't know of his presence unless the pharaoh decided to make an appearance.

"How, how're we going to do it?"

"Oh please," Yami snapped, "As if we really need to come up with some big diabolical plan as to how we're going to tear up a few pieces of paper."

He smirked and took out the pawn of Diabound from his pocket, "Besides, isn't it obvious what we're going to do?"

Thief King grinned, getting the idea, "Gocha."

* * *

><p>"Hey, Yug," Joey lifted up his ticket, "What does this, here, say?"<p>

Yugi giggled and took the paper from his taller friend, "It says that there will be a buffet where we can eat for free on the boat!"

"Really? Sweeeet!" The blond jumped into the air, excitedly and the group burst into laughter.

Yugi stopped laughing for a second and put a finger to his chin, "I wonder why Bakura wasn't at school, today…"

"Eh, probably just sick or something." Joey waved his hand up in a dismissive way, "Anyway, so does it say what kind of food there's gonna be?"

"Joey, you know it's not all about the food!" Tea laughed, along with Tristan.

"Nyeh, what's wrong with food?"

* * *

><p>Yami held out the little pawn, "Now Diabound…" He spoke to it, "You can just go and mess around with those brats for us."<p>

The Millennium Ring glowed brilliantly and the ghostly shadow of the white serpent circled around the two evil spirit's legs, rubbing against them.

Thief King happily petted the snake's tail as it slithered past and he stood proudly to address it, "Well then, get rid of the tickets that those kids have, and do it fast! I'm not repeating that again. Got that?"

Diabound seemed to nod in understanding of the request and it went on off to terrorize the high school students.

* * *

><p>Yugi should have known that something was wrong when the Millennium Puzzle began to glow.<p>

However he was too late to do anything before a large, white creature pounced up from right in from of them.

"W-Whaah!" Yugi jumped back, hugging onto his puzzle.

"What is that monster?" Joey backed away.

"Some kind of Duel Monster, I bet!" Tristan got his duel disk ready.

He didn't have enough time to do anything else before Diabound whipped him in the back, throwing him onto his feet.

"…If that were a Duel Monster, it wouldn't be doing that." Tea gasped and ran over to Tristan, before being attacked herself.

Thief King chuckled, "No Duel Monster, just my _ka_ here to kill you."

The two spirits laughed and continued to watch the show, just waiting for the pharaoh to show up.

* * *

><p>And they weren't left waiting for long.<p>

* * *

><p>Diabound struck the remaining two teenagers from behind, pushing them to the ground along with the others.<p>

Some of the tickets flew from Yugi's hands, and he reached over to grab them.

Diabound whipped its tail right on them, also snatching up the remaining tickets from the boy's hands.

"Our tickets-!"

The creature then ripped the tickets each into pieces.

Yugi stared at the paper flying in the wind…

…And soon his puzzle began to glow.

* * *

><p>Yami's eyes widened when he realized what was going on, "…Well, then. This should be fun."<p>

"What?" Thief King blinked, "You don't mean… That's _him_?"

"Of course it is, now shut up."

"Well, should I call back Diabound now?" The thief had a restless look on his face, "Or should Diabound attack?"

"We'll see what happens." Yami answered, simply.

* * *

><p>The puzzle glowed, taking the boy over with darkness.<p>

Yami Yugi possessed him even faster than Yami Bakura's best record.

The pharaoh got up onto his feet in an elegant, dark, and proud manner.

Even just by looking at him, you could tell that he had been a king in his past life,

Who just happened to share the unfortunate fate of being sealed within the puzzle for three millenniums of mixing and becoming one with the darkness,

And, thus, earning the title of a "yami".

"Who dared to summon this creature?" The pharaoh called out, with obvious rage in his voice, "Show yourself!"

* * *

><p>Thief King quickly lunged forward, completely by impulse, however Yami grabbed hold of his arm and threw him down to the ground.<p>

"You should know better than to do anything you'll regret." He hissed through his teeth.

Thief King got up right away, hating the idea of being looked down upon, with a somewhat distressed expression, "So, we're _not_ going be playing with the pharaoh today?"

"Don't be stupid, we have no reason to." Yami spat out, hands on his hips, "Besides, we want them to trust the landlord, do we not?"

Thief King Akefia pouted for a moment, "Yeah, yeah."

Yami laughed, "Oh don't be like that… Soon we'll have the pharaoh right where we want him, and he'll be ours to play with forever."

The evil spirits laughed wickedly together at the thought.

* * *

><p>"Answer me, dammit!" The pharaoh yelled, his hands in tight fists.<p>

The closest thing he got to an answer was when Diabound's tail slammed into him.

"Pharaoh!" Tea called out, her eyes wide.

The pharaoh made a deep gasp, but quickly got his balance back, "I'm alright, Tea…"

The group of friends got up from their feet and stood strong with the pharaoh.

They all leaped out of the way of Diabound's attacks.

Diabound hissed in annoyance.

It examined each of its prey and made its move.

"Eep!" Tea screamed when the creature's tail wrapped around her, pulling her high into the air.

"Nyeh, it's got Tea!" Joey hid behind Tristan in a cowardly manner.

The pharaoh's eyes widened.

Diabound hissed, though in a way that made it sound like it was laughing and it made a mad dash down the street.

All the while the group of heroes could hear Tea yelling out, flailing her arms in the air, "Hey, a little help here would be nice you kno-WHAAH!"

"Tea!" The pharaoh called and ran off after the creature, followed by the rest of the group.

* * *

><p>Yami and Thief King both blinked as the group ran right past them.<p>

"…What in Zorc's name was that?"

Thief King burst into laughter, "Well then, I had no idea Diabound was such a lady's man!"

"Let's just call it back before we end up having to deal with a whiny friendship-obsessed wretch." Yami snapped, taking the pawn back out.

"Aw, you're no fun."

* * *

><p>The Yami Yugi chased after Diabound, until the creature went around a corner into the part and seemed to disappear out of nowhere.<p>

"Where'd it go...?" Tristan blinked.

The pharaoh looked around, searching for his friend.

He finally found Tea, hanging from the branch of a tree waving her arms and legs around.

"Hey! Get me down from hereee!" She screamed out, waving her arms around.

Joey laughed, "But it looks like you're having so much fun up there!"

"Just get me down!"

The pharaoh made a quick sigh of relief.

* * *

><p>Just what was that thing?<p>

Where did it go?

Why did it attack them in the first place?

And further more, who ordered it to do so?

So many questioned swarmed around in his mind.

What just happened?

* * *

><p>"That was too close." Yami mumbled on the way back to the apartment.<p>

The Thief King followed him, with his hands behind his head, "Well, I dunno about you, but I had fun!"

"Of course you did."

Thief King snickered.

He put a hand on Yami's shoulder and leaned forward, "Well, now that we're out here, let's have just a little more fun before heading back!" He made a mocking voice, "What do ya say, oh great evil mastermind?"

Yami chuckled, "And just what could possible satisfy you?"

"Does it matter?" Thief King raised his hands into the air, "Let's go on a raid... Or we could blow up a gas station! Let's do that!"

The yami laughed loudly, "Very well then... I know a few of those that no one would care about."

"Yes!" Thief King punched the air in excitement and cackled.

Yami smirked.

Maybe he'd steal a thing or two, as well.

* * *

><p>Ryou stood up and admired his work with a smile.<p>

He was always proud of his creations.

Even White Mage had helped with the painting, making thing go by twice as fast.

"Whew..." White Mage let out a deep breath.

He leaned on a chair that Ryou had gotten for him, kicking his feet in the air behind him. "This looks like it'll be such a fun place when it's all done!" He giggled, "I can't believe it's only been one day, too!"

"Yeah, We've worked really hard today!" Ryou nodded, cheerfully, "I'm sure Yami will be happy."

White Mage huffed, "I sure hope so. Otherwise I'll be really angry..."

"Well, I'm sure he will be." Ryou absentmindedly played with his hair.

He didn't exactly want to see an angry White Mage.

The pawn spirit sighed.

Ryou patted him gently over the head in an attempt to calm him down.

White Mage pulled his arm down to him and hugged it, "Well, the Dark Game Master is mean, you know. He'll be angry just to upset you, Master." He made a slight pout.

Ryou blinked.

He smiled and slowly hugged his small friend, "It's okay! Even if Yami is angry on the outside, I know deep down he'll love it!"

"...Do you really think so?" White Mage looked up at him, with an unbelieving face.

Ryou's smile only grew as he lifted up a finger into the air, "I know so!"

* * *

><p>It was later in the evening when the two spirits returned to the apartment, both in an odd, giddy mood.<p>

Thief King happily kicked his feet into the air and burst out in laughter.

That loud laugh rang through the walls.

One would wonder how the neighbors couldn't hear it.

"Ah... Welcome back." Ryou peeked his head out the door.

"Hey, Ryou!" Thief King greeted, lifting up a stolen hat and waving it into the air.

Yami had a good laugh of his own before setting something down on the counter.

Ryou watched them for a few moments before pouting.

"...Where were you?" He made an attempt to look upset, something that was almost impossible for him.

Yami snickered, "If you really want to know, dear Landlord."

The smaller boy blinked, "Please don't tell me you got in trouble..."

"Sure," Thief King fell onto the couch waving his arms in the air in a way that made him appear drunk, "We tried to kill your friends, then we blew up a gas station!"

Ryou stared at him, "...You did _what_?"

Yami went over, putting his arms around his host's waist, "We made a little visit to your friends, Hikari... They won't be going anywhere."

"You mean you...?" Ryou looked up at him.

"Of course." Yami grinned, "The moment that model is complete, we'll be good to go."

Ryou made a slight smile, but quickly got rid of it, "But was it really necessary to-"

"Yeah! Totally necessary!" Thief King cackled, sitting upside down on the couch.

Ryou sent a slight glare over to the king of thieves.

"Now, now..." Yami laughed lightly, placing one hand on the boy's shoulder and pointed to the paper bag on the counter, "There's a little gift for you over there."

"...Huh?" Ryou slowly looked over to the bag with curious eyes.

"Aw, just when I thought you were getting those for me!" Thief King said.

Yami rolled his eyes and released Ryou, who went over and picked up the bag.

Ryou smiled and licked his lips.

A paper bag, filled with cream puffs.

"...Ooh!" He giggled, plopping the first cream puff in his mouth.

"Just think of it as a treat for your usefulness." Yami lazily explained and slipped into the game room.

* * *

><p>"Oh?" White Mage looked over as the yami slammed the door shut, "Did you tell Master why you were gone?"<p>

"Are you death, toy? Did you not hear the conversation in the room right next to you?" Yami scowled and leaned over the table, examining the model.

White Mage winced.

"Everything looks good. The palace is certainly interesting, and... The cave is a nice touch..."

"Master worked really hard all day." The mage spoke proudly.

"Yes, I can see that."

"Well?"

Yami growled, "Well, what?"

White Mage gulped.

He sat down on the table and gave an odd look to the yami, "...Are you happy with it?"

Yami blinked, "What kind of question is that?"

"Are you happy with what Master's done?" He fiddled around with his thumbs, "He put a lot of work into this so you'd be happy."

The darkness groaned, "Why do you care?"

"I care because I want Master to be happy!" White Mage snapped, "He's only doing this so you'll like him!"

Yami laughed.

The mage's explanation would be enough to make any darkside laugh like mad.

"...What's so funny?" White Mage glared at him.

Yami didn't answer, but made a smug grin.

White Mage's eyes narrowed, "Y-You don't care at all, do you?"

"Of course not, my host's feelings are the least of my problems." Yami's grin widened, and he left for the door.

"Unbelievable! I hate him! I hate him! Completely unbelievable!" The mage screamed after Yami made his leave.

* * *

><p>With the long day done and over with, Ryou got dressed in a white night-gown and plopped down on his bed.<p>

"Ah... Mmm..." He giggled, hugging his pillow.

"I'm not interrupting anything, Landlord, am I?" Yami snickered.

"Oh? When did you come in?" Ryou blinked.

"Not too long ago."

Ryou scooted over in his bed with a smile.

Yami raised an eyebrow, but sat down on the bed beside the smaller boy.

"Did you see the model?" Ryou exclaimed, sitting up.

"Hmm," Yami stroked his host's hair with a grin spread all over his face, "Well, you've certainly got a gift for creating them."

"Really?" The host yawned.

"Would I lie to you?" Yami said, "...Don't answer that."

Ryou giggled, "You're horrible when it comes to that!"

The yami chuckled and got up, "Good night, Landlord."

The boy pouted, "You won't stay with me a little longer...?"

Yami gave him a look.

"Oh, please Yami?" Ryou whined, childishly.

His darkside sighed and sat down once more, "You're lucky I don't have anything better to do, Hikari."

Ryou smiled and got under the covers, "Thank-you..."

"Whatever, just go to sleep." Yami said, before turning off the lights and the darkness soon consumed the room.


	9. Yami's Plan Is Put Into Action

A clay model of Egypt, painted with many different colours sat on the table of Ryou Bakura's game room.

A short, round palace with admirable detail was placed at the very end, similar to the castle in Monsley Kingdom.

Right in front of the palace was an impressive garden.

Diagonal to that on the board was the model of a deserted, worn-down village.

This village was based off of a place that Ryou was little more than eager to build.

The village of Kul Elna, right below the palace of the Thief King Akefia Bakura.

Not too far away from that, Ryou had concluded a little cave with an oasis, thinking that it could work as a place for the heroes to rest before the final battle.

Below that was a small valley of sand, with the same purpose as Monsley Kingdom's forest.

A home for monsters of all kinds.

Clay dunes made their way over to a bigger city filled with many trees and small homes.

This city seemed to be full of life, and little clay pawns, created by Ryou, roamed the streets of the city's market.

The city had a bar and an inn, just like in Monsley Kingdom.

* * *

><p>Yes.<p>

After about three days of work...

Ryou's model of Ancient Egypt was finally complete.

At least, complete for the time being.

The way Yami Bakura spoke of it, this wasn't going to be the first time when the model will be used.

And Ryou expected to have to put in some changes for the next time.

* * *

><p>Not that it mattered now.<p>

For now, the model was complete.

And Ryou was certainly proud.

He stood over the table with a smile, arms behind his back.

"So that's mine, then?" Thief King Bakura leaned over the table, taking a look at the palace.

"Mhm, I tried to make it something you'd like." Ryou nodded.

"How long've you been making these, anyway?"

Ryou giggled, "For a long time."

Thief King snickered, "I guess I can tell."

"Thief King gets a castle, too?" White Mage Bakura sat down on a seat beside the table.

"...You mean you get a castle?" Akefia blinked.

"Yeah!" White Mage exclaimed, "Master made me the king of Monsley Kingdom!"

"Short king." The thief snorted.

White Mage stuck his tongue out at him.

Yami materialized beside his host and examined the now-finished world. "So this is our Egypt, then."

Ryou smiled, "Yup, looks like!"

White Mage sent a small glare to the yami, but refused to say anything to acknowledge him.

"I have the story done, too..." Ryou went and got his laptop from the shelf.

Yami laughed, "Perfect."

The smaller boy blushed, "I guess you must have written some, too, when you possessed me last night..."

"Was it that easy to tell?"

Ryou nodded with a giggle.

"So what you're saying is," Thief King pointed out, "Is that we've got everything we need for the Dark RPG, now?"

Yami smirked darkly, "Yes. I think we're ready to go now."

White Mage got up and went over to the table with the others.

"And now we can put this model with the other one!" Ryou claimed, a sense of pride in his voice.

The room was silent for a moment.

"Er… How, exactly, are we going to do that?"

Yami rubbed his forehead with a groan, "Honestly, Landlord, did you not plan this out?"

"Sorry…"

"Whatever, just get another table beside Monsley Kingdom, and put the model on top of that!"

"Ah… Right."

* * *

><p>It took a bit of work before Ryou managed to pull a table from outside the door to into the room right where he wanted it to be.<p>

Once that was done, Ryou, with some help from the spirits, placed the model onto the table.

It looked almost natural, sitting right beside the Monster World model.

A feeling of accomplishment took over the room as everyone admired the work that had used up half the week to make.

* * *

><p>Yami made a loud laugh, "Perfect! Everything is going perfectly!"<p>

"I'll say!" Thief King stretched his arms out into the air and made his way to the door, "So much excitement… I think I'll just sleep."

Yami rolled his eyes.

White Mage stood by the table, looking at the model with curious eyes, "I just hope you know what you're doing."

"Of course I do!" Yami rested a hand on Ryou's head.

Ryou blinked.

"Besides, the Landlord and I will be sure to keep you entertained, I assure." The darkness smirked.

"Really?" White Mage raised an eyebrow, "I don't think I want to know what you're planning."

Yami laughed, "...Of course you don't."

"Well," The pawn's eyes narrowed, "All of your plans are evil! And all you ever do is get Master hurt! …What's Master even going to be doing for the whole game?" He made a quick gasp, "I-I bet you're just going to stuff Master away in his soul room the whole time while you go around and hurt his friends!"

Yami rolled his eyes, "Actually, this will be different than those other times."

"…How so?"

The darkness smirked, giving a glance over to his host, "The Landlord will be playing the role of the Dark Master with me."

White Mage starred at them, speechless.

* * *

><p>The master and the yami were going do play the RPG together?<p>

Both being Dark Game Masters?

Was that even allowed?

Though, since when did Yami ever play by the rules?

He'd find a way somehow to bend the rules somehow.

White Mage did something he never thought he would do in the given situation.

He cracked a small smile.

The thought was almost too good to be true.

Yami and Ryou working together.

But surely Yami had something up his sleeves.

He would find a way to use Ryou.

And not in a good way.

He would find a way to hurt the mage's master, in order to benefit himself.

That smile drained off from White Mage's face, leaving him with a confused expression.

Ryou didn't appear to see the evil in the plan.

He stood there, gaping at his darker half.

It bothered White Mage how _blind_ his master was.

* * *

><p>"You mean…?" Ryou blushed madly for reasons White Mage could never possibly hope to understand.<p>

That, coming out of the yami's mouth, was the best thing Ryou had ever heard.

Had he truly just said that?

Yami chuckled, petting the younger boy, "Why not?"

"O-Oh! That's great!" Ryou sang, happily, "So that means I'll get to play with you… I can't wait!"

"Master…" The pawn spirit made a huff.

Ryou ignored him, asking his yami various questions instead.

White Mage sighed.

Obviously his dear master wasn't going to be listening to him.

Between answering his host's curiosity, Yami sent a side-glance to the mage, a smug grin on his face.

White Mage noticed this and scowled.

"Hmph!" He wasn't going to put up with the yami and ran over to the door.

"…Before you go, toy."

The mage stopped cold, not bothering to turn around.

Yami smirked, "I have a small job for you and my Hikari."

"Job…?"

"That's correct, toy." The darkness laughed, "You've managed to teach him quite a few little tricks… So it will be up to you to teach him to materialize fully for his friends to see."

"Oh right, they can't see me, can they?" Ryou smacked his forehead.

"Right. So I'll leave that to the two of you, then." Yami said, coolly, "Make time for that today at some point."

White Mage bit the side of his cheek and gave a quiet answer, "I'll do it, but not for your sake, Dark Game Master."

Yami grinned, darkly, "Perfect."

* * *

><p>After the mage left, Ryou and Yami were left alone in the game room.<p>

Ryou happily looked over the two models, taking the different NPC pawns he'd created and making scenes with them.

Yami watched over his shoulder, "Excited, are you?"

"Mhm!" The younger boy smiled, though not for long, "But on the other hand… What will happen to Yugi and the others if we win?"

"What do you mean _if_?" Came Yami's smug reply.

Ryou gave him a look, making the yami laugh.

"…Landlord, do you remember what I told you?"

Ryou blinked, "What do you mean?"

"The massacre of Kul Elna." The spirit brushed his fingers on the roof of a house, in Ryou's Kul Elna model, "Don't tell me you don't remember, I didn't tell you that long ago."

His host was silent for a moment before nodding, "I remember, Yami…" It had only been about a week and a half since he had gone into his darkside's soul room. "But what does that have to do with our RPG? What are you saying?"

Yami explained, "I'm saying that you shouldn't care about what happens to those fools, and especially not that cursed Pharaoh."

"…You're not going to hurt them, are you?" Ryou scowled.

"What if I am?" Yami smirked, "It's not like they don't deserve it."

"Of course they don't deserve it!" The host protested, "They're my friends, and even if they weren't, I would never wish that upon anyone!"

The evil spirit laughed, "Keep telling yourself that, Hikari. I think you're more devious than you show."

"Huh...?"

"If you were really concerned for your _friend's_ safety, you wouldn't have agreed to make the model to begin with." Yami placed a hand on the boy's shoulder, with a proud look on his face.

Ryou didn't say anything in reply.

For all he knew, the yami was probably right about that.

Yami let go of him and made his way to the door, "At any rate, when we win, your friends will become eternal residents in our world. What becomes of them after that will be completely up to us. ...That is, if they aren't killed during the game."

Ryou gulped.

Yami left, mumbling under his breath, "And then that puzzle will be mine."

* * *

><p>Ryou stood there for a moment, thinking of what the yami had just said.<p>

His train of thought was broken when he heard a noise in the living room.

He groaned, thinking that the Thief King had done something and rushed out into the hallway.

When he peeked his head into the living room, he saw something that he hadn't been expecting at all.

* * *

><p>White Mage hung down from the top bookshelf, kicking his feet in the air, "L-Little help here!"<p>

Ryou blinked.

The Thief King burst out into laughter, "What do ya mean ya can't get down? Why are you even up there?"

"Just help me!" The mage fumed.

"Whatever..." Akefia got up from the couch and stood under the shelf, arms out. "You can drop any time now."

"...Drop? I'm not going to drop! You'll let me fall!"

"Well, if I go up to get you, I'll just push you down!"

"Don't do that, either!"

"You're a bloody ghost, just like me! What's got you so afraid of falling?"

"I-I'm not afraid! I just don't like it!"

"Same thing! Now are you going to drop or not?"

"I'll hate you forever for this!"

"Fine by me!"

Eventually the mage did let go, and to his own surprise, fell right into the thief's arms.

They stayed that way for a good minute or so.

"U-Uh..." White Mage blushed slightly, "Aren't you going to put me down?"

"Is that you're way of saying 'thank-you'?"

"I'll say 'thank-you' as soon as I'm on the floor!"

"Why not now?"

"'Cause I don't want to!"

"Freaking brat!"

Ryou stood there, torn between breaking the fight and making a run for it before the spirits notice him being there.

"...Fine, be that way." The king of thieves smirked, "Then you're not getting down."

"Wh-What?" White Mage snapped, "Put me down! Put me down _right now_!"

"Not until you give me a proper 'thank-you'!"

"Forget it! I want down!" White Mage screamed, hitting the thief in the chest.

"...Alright. Then how about a kiss, instead?"

White Mage stared at him, his face full of disgust.

Eventually he made a quiet mumble, "Thank-you."

"What was that? I can't hear you."

White Mage growled quietly before speaking louder, in a mock voice, "Thank-you, Akefia, for saving me from falling to my doom."

Thief King chuckled, petting the mage before setting him down on the ground. "There. Now was that so hard?"

White Mage sent the hardest glare he could manage before noticing Ryou, who was standing there as if he had seen a ghost.

Well.

Maybe that statement should be rethought.

"M-Master..." White Mage zoomed right past the thief with a red face, and took Ryou's hand, "We should, uh, go do what the Dark Game Master wanted us to do..."

Ryou nodded, "Right. I'll go let Yami take control and we can go to my soul room."

Ryou, followed by the mage, left to meet Yami in the kitchen.

Thief King fell down onto the couch with a long, hard laugh.

* * *

><p>Yami, in Ryou's body, joined the Thief King in the living room a little later.<p>

"I swear..." He held his head with a groan, "You can be so loud."

"Hey, I'm you, buddy."

"Don't remind me."

Yami pasted around in front of the Thief King, beginning to plot, "Now... Once my Hikari is finished, everything will be ready."

"I think we already established that, genius."

Yami rolled his eyes, "I know that. However, we still have to decide how we're going to get the pharaoh and his little vessel to play the game."

"Can't we just get Ryou to go and _ask_ them to come over?" Thief King leaned back, in a better mood than Yami after a good laugh, thanks to his friend; the pawn spirit.

"Oh please. He may be an idiot, but even the pharaoh should know better than to fall for the same thing twice."

"So, then what?"

"Well, if we're unable to convince those fools, then we'll just have to make it _worth_ coming." Yami grinned.

"Whadoya mean by that?" Thief King said.

"I'm thinking..."

Thief King rolled his eyes, "Well, if we have something they want, we'll offer it as a prize for winning the game. Not that _that'll_ happen."

"Oh?" Yami gave the thief's idea a bit of thought, "And what could we possibly have to offer, other than the ring?"

Thief King grinned, slyly, "If we don't have anything, then we'll simply take something."

"I see." Yami smirked, liking the idea and the two evil spirits cackled, loudly.

* * *

><p>It was early in the evening, a while after school ended for most teenagers in Domino City, when Ryou and White Mage were finally finished with their little lesson.<p>

It wasn't perfect, but Ryou was more excited as he had ever been.

"Now my friends can see me, even when Yami's in control!" He proudly exclaimed.

This would always be useful.

White Mage smiled, sweetly and nodded, "Yes! You can probably appear before anyone now!"

Thief King joined the conversation, ruffling Ryou's hair, "Hey, that means you can have some fun with this, too!"

"Fun?" Ryou and White Mage exchanged glances.

"Well, you live in this big apartment! If you're gonna act like a ghost, you'd might as well try having some fun as a ghost!"

Ryou bit his lip, not liking where this was going. "Don't tell me..."

"Why not? Give a few old people heart attacks, scar a few people for life..."

"I'm not doing that!" Ryou stomped his foot, "I live with these people! I don't want them thinking... Or worse..."

Thief King laughed, "If they ask, you could always tell them that you live with three spirits, one who possesses you constantly to the point where you had to learn to appear as a spirit, yourself!"

Ryou had to giggle, hearing the awkward truth coming from his own "spirit roommate's" mouth.

"Now come on... Just, maybe two people!" The thief put an arm around the host's shoulders, "You can't possibly say no to that!"

"Oh... I don't know." Ryou made an attempt to pry the arm off of him, failing, "I don't want to hurt anybody. Especially if it's someone I know."

"Then pick someone who you don't know."

Ryou blinked, thinking about the spirit's request.

He finally sighed, "Maybe... Maybe if it's someone from the third floor. I don't go to that floor too often."

White Mage stared at him, "Y-You can't possibly mean you're actually going to go and _haunt_ your own neighbors?"

"Well, what's the worst that can happen?" Ryou was hoping the mage wouldn't come up with an answer for that.

Thief King laughed in approval, "That's it! Let's go right now!"

Ryou laughed with him, quietly, "Okay!"

They went ahead, walking right past White Mage, who pouted, seeing that he was being ignored.

* * *

><p>Ryou and Thief King went about in the hallway of the third floor.<p>

"Mmm, how about we start with the bathroom?" Thief King said.

"So we can pull off cheep parlor tricks and make everyone run for the hills?" Ryou giggled.

"...You don't give me enough credit." The king of thieves faked pouting, before pulling Ryou into the washroom.

There they waited.

And waited.

And waited.

Eventually and man did come in, looking quite rushed.

Ryou suddenly began to feel bad about the fact that he would be ruining this man's day.

"Oh, don't be." Thief King shrugged, beside him, "We're only having some fun, and who's he to take that away from us?"

Ryou rolled his eyes, "Could you please just tell me what I'm suppose to do now?"

"Oh right..." Thief King pointed over to a mirror, "Go write some stuff on there. Or do something. People go nuts when you do that."

Ryou could see why.

"Fine." He sighed, taking a felt pen out.

He crawled over, onto the sink, and began to draw on the mirror.

He felt terrible for vandalizing public property, and the man began to gap at the moving pen on the mirror.

"I-I-Issss th-th-t-tha-that-t...?"

Ryou ignored him, continuing to write down the first words that came to mind.

"DEATH" was one of them.

Of course.

He also wrote things like "love", and "hope".

Not because they had any real meaning, he just liked them.

"Great, now help of open and close these things!" Thief King had taken on of the doors on the bathroom stalls, swinging them open and then closed.

Ryou let out a quick laugh and joined in, swinging a few of the doors.

Their victim made a loud scream and ran right out of the bathroom, even forgetting his bags.

"Cool! Now let's see what he's got…" Thief King went over to the man's bag, trying to open it.

"Thief King, we're not stealing from him, we've already scared him half to death…" Ryou crossed his arms.

"Well, if he's 'halfway dead', then he won't be needing his stuff, now will he?"

Ryou giggled, shaking his head, "That still doesn't make it right."

"Has anything we've done been _right_?" The king of thieves put a hand all the way through the bag, feeling the bottom of it.

He pulled out a switchblade, along with a packet of gum. "This looks useful."

"The knife or the gum?"

"That's a knife? Wow."

* * *

><p>Ryou and the Thief King went after only a few more people, trying out different tricks for each victim.<p>

For one of them, Ryou had simply decided to appear and disappear in various places.

And then, a little later, Thief King decided to distort a victim's appearance in the hallway's mirror.

And, of course, their victims left lots of their item behind, which he quite happily helped himself to.

One woman had even left him finding a large handful of jewelry, which was about when he couldn't carry anymore and they decided to head back.

* * *

><p>The two spirits laughed and giggled, excitedly as they told jokes and stories, all the way back to Ryou's apartment.<p>

"How much milk did she drink?"

"A whole ten gallons!"

"…Why?"

"Because her friends had told her that they knew someone who gained the superpowers to see through luggage at the airport from drinking milk."

More hysterical laughter.

"Ahem." White Mage stood at the doorway, arms crossed in an attempt to look angry.

Thief King blinked, "…Oh, hey Mage."

"Did we take too long?" Ryou said.

Yami appeared behind the mage, shoving him out the way, "Much too long, Landlord. I already have our next move planned out."

"You do?" Ryou's eyes lightened with curiosity, "What's going to happen?"

Yami grinned, "I was just thinking that, perhaps, the two of us should go give your friends a little visit..."

Ryou could feel himself tense, "...You mean, visit Yugi and the others at the game shop?"

"That's what I just said."

"...And then what? Are we just going to say 'hello'?"

Yami chuckled, "If that's what you want. I'm not planning on staying for that long. We need to get them to play the game, somehow, so we'd might as well go straight there."

Ryou thought it over, "Well... I guess I could phone Yugi to see if I can come over..."

"Fine." Yami said, allowing his host to take control over the body.

Ryou then walked on inside, to the kitchen where he got the phone out.

Yami appeared beside Ryou, watching him dial the number, while Thief King and White Mage simply stood at the door, exchanging glances at each other.

"I don't think I want to know what he has planned." White Mage pouted.

The Thief King laughed, pulling the mage inside, "Whatever, right?"

White Mage huffed, "...Don't touch me!"

Akefia rolled his eyes.

* * *

><p>"Hello? Kame Game Shop." Yugi yawned over the phone-line.<p>

"Yugi? It's Bakura." Ryou smiled.

"Bakura?" The other host's voice had a hint of worry in it, "Are you okay? You haven't been in school for almost the whole week!"

Ryou giggled at his friend's concern, "I'm fine, Yugi! I've just been busy. Really busy."

"What have you been doing?" Yugi's asked.

"Well, er..." Ryou looked over to Yami.

"Tell him about the model, but don't be giving too much information away." The yami chuckled.

Ryou nodded, slowly, and continued talking in the phone, "You see, my father used to own the museum. So the people who work there know me really well."

"Oh, so you're doing work for the museum?"

"Yes! They've asked me to create a model of Ancient Egypt, so I've been working hard on that."

The line became silent for a moment.

Obviously Yugi had to stop talking for a moment to listen to what the Pharaoh had to say.

He spoke again, "A model of Egypt? For the museum?"

Ryou gulped, hoping he hadn't said the wrong thing. "Y-Yes."

"Mmm... Okay! Think we can come see it sometime?"

Ryou blinked.

"Well, then..." Yami laughed.

"Actually... That's what I was calling about." Ryou relaxed, "I was wondering if I could come over at some point today. Just for a short visit, I won't stay too long."

"Really? Well, the others are all here if you want to come over now. You know, you're always welcome to just hang out here!"

"...Thank-you. I'll be right over." Ryou smiled, warmly, before hanging up.

"Such an actor you are, Landlord." Yami smirked, brushing his fingers through Ryou's hair.

Ryou frowned.

* * *

><p>Ryou quickly brushed his hair, and left with Yami for the game shop a little bit after.<p>

He made a deep breath before ringing the doorbell.

Yugi's grandfather, Solomon, answered the door.

"Oh... Good evening!" Ryou greeted the elder with a cheerful smile.

"Hey there, Bakura, long time no see!" Yugi's grandfather had always been full of spunk.

Ryou nodded, "M-May I come in?"

"Go right ahead."

Ryou quickly thanked him and took off his shoes at the door.

He ran upstairs and slowly opened the door to Yugi's bedroom. "Ah... It's Bakura."

"Oh! Hi!" Yugi waved over to him, with a large smile.

"Bakura?" Joey was leaning back on the bed, sitting beside Tea and Tristan leaned back in Yugi's desk chair.

"Hello, everyone!" Ryou smiled, despite how awkward he was feeling.

Yami tapped him on the shoulder, whispering into his ear, "Perhaps you should get to the point sooner than later."

"_R-Right._" Ryou answered over a mind-link.

He stood there for a moment.

Yugi blinked, "...Is something wrong, Bakura?"

"Ah..." Ryou looked around, side-to-side, "...Is there any place for me to sit?" He blushed, slightly.

Yugi laughed, "Oh! Sorry about that! Yeah, you can just sit with me on the bed. We were all kinda there."

"On the bed? ...If you'd rather, I could stand."

"Oi, quit being so polite and just find somewhere." Joey snorted in annoyance.

Ryou fidgeted with his sleeve, "Sorry."

He finally decided to sit down on the floor, leaning against the wall and listened as his friends went back to their conversation.

He couldn't help but to notice that Yugi seemed to be a little on the depressed side.

"...Are you alright, Yugi?"

"Huh?" Yugi yawned, "What do you mean?"

"Well... You just seem a bit off. Did something happen?"

The shorter boy smiled, "I guess I'm just a little disappointed."

"Disappointed?" Ryou said.

"Mhm. Today was suppose to be the day where we'd go catch the cruse ship for the mountains."

"Oh..." Was that what Yami and the Thief King had done to them the other day? "And why aren't you going there?"

"Well..."

"Because some jerk of a monster decided to come and kill our chances of going!" Joey yelled out, not caring how loud he was.

"It was horrible." Tea sighed.

"A... Monster?" Ryou blinked.

Could it have been... Diabound?

Yup.

This had "the doing of Yami and Thief King" written all over it.

He could hear Yami chuckle beside him, verifying his thoughts.

"Some big white thing." Tristan grumbled.

Yeah.

It had to be Diabound.

"What did the monster do...?" Ryou had to be careful not to accidentally call it by name, making him suspicious.

"It... Just destroyed out tickets. I don't even know why. And then after that it just disappeared completely out of no where!" Yugi had a puzzled look on his face.

Ryou was silent for a moment, not wanting to say too much.

Finally he made a nervous attempt to speak, "Sorry about what happened... I know you were really looking forward to going."

Yugi rubbed the back of his head, "It's fine, and we'll just have to go next year."

"Yeah, we can wait!" Joey grinned, "And in the meantime, we can go track down that monster and teach it a lesson for messing with us!"

"Right!" Tristan punched the air.

Would this be a good time to bring up the RPG?

"Go right ahead." Yami answered the boy's thought, "Just don't be so obvious."

"Say..." Ryou took a breath and smiled, "Maybe to take your mind off things... We can use the model I made for a little game of RPG! What do you say?"

"Model? You made another model?" Tea said.

"Well, I was talking to Yugi about it over the phone... I guess he didn't tell you..."

"I did mention it, but Joey was talking about Duel Monsters, sooo." Yugi laughed, nervously.

"Oh... Well, it's a little model of Egypt." Ryou explained, "I made it for the museum, but I made it so it's the same as my Monster World model. That means we can use it in RPG."

"It sounds fun..." Yugi thought out loud, "But I don't know. The pharaoh's not so sure about it. ...You know, after what happened last time."

Ryou sighed.

Of course the pharaoh would probably never trust him.

"I mean, the pharaoh was never the most trusting person ever." Yugi laughed, "He thinks that you might actually have something to do with that creature! But that's ridiculous."

"He really thinks that?"

"Well, you're still wearing that ring, aren't you...?" Tristan pointed over to Ryou's chest.

Ryou blinked and pulled the Millennium Ring out, "I can't take it off... It has always come back to me, anyway."

"Well, honestly, for as long as you still have that, anything could have been your fault, right? I mean, you never know."

Well, that hurt.

"M-My fault...?"

"Well, the spirit of the ring's fault."

"I'm so insulted." Yami said in a mock voice. "Let's take a different approach to this."

"_What...?_" Ryou questioned over the mind-link.

"Switch with me."

"_Why? What are you going to do_?"

Ryou made a quick gasp when Yami forced him out of control. "Just stay in your soul room, Landlord."

Yugi blinked, "Are you okay?"

Yami quickly made his best 'Ryou impression'.

Not that it would take much to fool his host's friends.

"Oh... Everything's fine, Yugi." He replied, in Ryou's voice.

"Well, if you say so."

Now how was he going to do this...

What could he possibly take that would be of enough value to get them to play the RPG?

Finally a small smirk reached his face, along with an idea.

* * *

><p>"Oh... By the way, Joey." Yami looked over to the blond friend, locking eye contact with him.<p>

"Nyeh?" Joey blinked, "What do you want, Bakura?"

The others each exchanged looks.

The spirit quickly thought of something that could be related to his host's lie. "The museum was having a survey."

"Survey? What about?"

"Does it matter?" Yami scowled, though not enough for it to be noticeable.

Not that they would notice anything.

He stood up, never losing eye contact with the boy, "I'd like to get your answer, Joey. If you don't mind, of course."

"Why do I have to do it?" Joey yawned, lazily.

"Oh, well, I only need one more vote. And I thought you were as good as anyone." Yami managed to hide the annoyance in his voice.

Joey looked around at everyone, who had their eyes on him. "Nyeh... Uh..." He jumped off of the bed, "Fine. But only 'cause you're my pal, apparently."

"_Apparently._" Yami snickered to himself. "Well, follow me, then." He made a gesture and went out the door.

Joey scratched the back of his head, but followed anyway. "You left it or something?"

"I had Yugi's grandfather sign it before meeting with you." Yami lead him into a spare room in the shop.

Joey blinked as Yami closed the door and pulled out a small clay figure of a warrior from his pocket.

"The heck is that?"

Yami chuckled to himself, "What? Don't tell me you don't recognize your own pawn."

It took Joey a few seconds before it finally hit him.

"…You're not Bakura, are you?"

"What could have possibly given you that idea?" Yami rolled his eyes, "The fact that I suddenly grew about ten inches or that I'm about to steal your soul?"

"A little bit of both. Now leave me alone!" Joey growled, storming over to the door.

Yami grabbed hold of his arm as he walked past, pulling him back in a tight grip. "Sorry, but I'm afraid you're not going anywhere."

He grinned before lifting up the pawn, "But don't worry, you'll be seeing your friends soon enough…"

Yami pushed Joey roughly onto the ground before calling out, "_Penalty game!_"

* * *

><p>"Did you hear that?" Yugi got up with a gasp.<p>

"It sounded like… Bakura?" Tea blinked.

"I think Joey's in trouble…" Tristan ran right out the door, followed by the others.

They rushed into the room where Joey and Yami had gone into, only to see Joey's body lying there, motionless…

With Yami nowhere to be seen.

Beside the body was a note.

Yugi picked it up, reading in alarm.

* * *

><p><em>'Now don't be so upset, my dear mortals, all I want is a little game.<em>

_Join me later tonight, at exactly nine o'clock, and I'll give you a chance to save your friend's soul._

_Don't keep me waiting._

_~Yami no Bakura'_

* * *

><p>"Yami no Bakura…" Yugi muttered under his breath. "...What are we going to do?"<p>

* * *

><p>Ryou blinked when he gained control in his own living room.<p>

What had Yami done?

He had no memory.

As usual.

"What...?" He looked around.

"Are you okay, Master?" White Mage was sitting right beside him, looking up with eyes full of concern.

"Ah, White Mage!" Ryou giggled, "I didn't see you there!"

"Oh... You don't remember anything, do you?" White Mage scowled.

"Sorry, no... Do you know where Yami is?"

"I'm right here." Yami rolled his eyes, "Honestly, Landlord, it's not like I wasn't allowing you to know what was going on, you just weren't paying any attention."

Ryou blushed a thick red before taking a good look around.

The three spirits were all there, staring at him.

"O-Oh, well..." He mumbled, "W-What happened?"

Yami laughed, "Let's just say that the Dark RPG will be starting very soon."

"Oh. That's... Good?"

"Well, I'm sure lookin' forward to it!" Thief King cackled.

He put an arm around the mage's shoulder, "I'm finally gonna get a taste of that nice palace you made!"

"Get you arm off of me!" White Mage exclaimed, bitterly.

"I'd like to see you try and make me."

"I will!"

"Please don't fight!" Ryou waved his hands around in a panic.

"Hmph." White Mage pouted.

"Fine, ruin my fun, why don't you." The Thief King laughed and let go.

"Shouldn't the two of you be off in the game world right about now?" Yami crossed his arms with a huff.

"Huh?" White Mage blinked.

"I guess." Thief King shrugged, not exactly caring.

* * *

><p>They got up and made their way to the game room, followed by Ryou and Yami.<p>

"Now where's my body..." Thief King grumbled, looking through the shelf.

White Mage picked up the pawns of the mage and the thief, holding them out for all to see, "Right here, beside mine!"

"Oh, 'kay."

The two spirits possessed their clay hosts, and Ryou took them with a smile. "Don't be too hard on the adventurers!"

"Hey, kill them before they kill you, I always say!" Thief King laughed, cruelly.

White Mage snuffled his feet around, nervously, "You'll be safe, right Master?"

"Safe...?" Ryou blinked.

"Yeah! I swear, if Yami hurts you..." The mage glared over to the yami.

Ryou made a small, sad sigh. "I'll be fine... You really don't have to worry about me."

"I hope you're right."

"I'll be extra careful, just for you!"

White Mage giggled and hugged onto his master's thumb.

"...Hey, how come he gets a hug?" Thief King crossed his arms.

"Leave me alone!"

Ryou rolled his eyes at the bickering spirits and put them both into the model.

* * *

><p>"Now that that annoyance is over with..." Yami groaned, "We're ready for the heroes to come any second now."<p>

Ryou nodded and took a look at the model of Monsley Kingdom.

Where something caught his eye.

"Is that...?"

The clay model of the Warrior Joey stood there, at the kingdom's castle.

Oh how angry the model looked.

"...Y-Yami?"

Yami chuckled and wrapped an arm around his host's waist. "Yes, Landlord? I see you've noticed a certain NPC."

Ryou stared at the warrior pawn, "You didn't, did you...?"

"What if I did?" Yami spoke into his ear, "They're all doomed, anyway."

* * *

><p>It was times like this when Ryou questioned what on earth he was doing.<p>

Of course, it was a little late to turn back now.

* * *

><p>It was almost right on que when there was a harsh knock on the door.<p>

"Open up, Bakura!" Tristan's voice boomed, "We want our friend back!"

Ryou made a gasp of surprise, "Wh-What do we do...?"

"Why don't you let me do the talking for now." Yami laughed.

Ryou slowly nodded and let his darkness take over.

Yami opened the door with the widest smirk had ever had. "Welcome, I'm so glad you could come."

"Cut the act." Tristan growled, not at all amused.

Yami scowled.

Yugi looked up at his friend's yami, somewhat curiously.

He was so different than his own yami.

Obviously.

"Bakura..." Yugi said.

Yami crossed his arms, "What, vessel?"

Yugi winced at the name Yami had given him, but got his courage together. "What is the game you wanted to play?"

"Shouldn't that be obvious? If anything, you would know me better than your _friend_; Ryou Bakura."

Yami lead them into the house, locking the door behind them.

Yugi gulped, "...Monster World?"

"Of course. Only we'll be using the model of Egypt as well. Everything is set up."

Yugi blinked, "You mean... You've been keeping the real Bakura here all week so he could make you that model."

"That means that the model wasn't actually for the museum, was it?" Tea gasped.

"But why would he lie to us? He can't possibly be..." Tristan said.

Yami laughed as he took them into the game room, "Oh, you'll see soon enough..."

* * *

><p>The heroes gasped when they saw the two models standing side-by-side with each other.<p>

"Bakura made that whole thing...?" Tea asked, impressed.

"Well, of course he did." Yami nodded, turning on the laptop and inserting imformation.

Over all, there were five seats around the two tables.

Three were set out for the four adventurers, minus Joey.

And then, on the opposit end, there were two chairs for the game masters.

"Hey, isn't there only suppost to be one chair over there?" Tristan pointed out.

"That would be so, except that this time will be different than the last time you played Monster World with me." Yami explained.

"How...?"

"Well, for one, we will be having one more person join us."

The heroes blinked.

Ryou decided to make his appearence, materlializing right beside his yami. "Hello." He greeted, meekly.

Yugi and his friends gasped, "The real Bakura!"

Ryou blushed as Yami patted him on the head, "Yes, this time, my dear Hikari will be joining us."

"Y-Your pawns are on the shelf over there." Ryou pointed over to said shelf, "You'll be using the same ones as last time, if that's okay."

The group or friends each picked up their pawns, never taking their eyes off the white-haired host.

"Bakura... You're siding with your yami?" Tristan was the first to speak his mind.

A nervous feeling came over Ryou.

It wasn't as if he enjoyed the idea of betraying his friends.

Though, he had to admit, he felt wonderful being helpful to his yami.

So he wasn't sure if he should regret it or not.

Eventually, Ryou made a small nod in responce. "...Yes."

Tristian stared at him, "But why?"

A smile came over Ryou.

He giggled and shook his head, "Why not?"

When his friends didn't look convinced, he continued in a cheerful voice, "Yamis and Hikaris are suppose to work together, aren't they? Oh, this'll be so fun!"

"Bakura..." Yugi mumbled.

A part of Yugi wanted to smile.

After all, Ryou was right.

Yamis and Hikari are meant to be partners...

But this was Yami Bakura.

Ryou paid him no mind and skipped over to his seat, full of energy. "Let's start the game real soon!"

Yami laughed and joined his host, "Yes, lets. What do you say, heroes?"

The group of friends didn't need a second thought before rushing into their seats, pawns in hand.

"Let's get this game going so we can kick your butt once and for all!"

"I couldn't agree with you more." Yami took his seat, with Ryou.

He pointed a finger into the air, proudly calling out, "_Game start!_"


	10. Arrival In Yami's World

"_Game start!_"

The group of teens became tense as soon as they heard the words.

This was it.

The Dark RPG had finally begun…

And there was no going back.

* * *

><p>Ryou Bakura practically bounced in his seat, full of excitement, as beside him, his yami chuckled.<p>

"I should explain this game, shouldn't I?" Ryou giggled.

"What's there to know? We've played this before!" Tristan growled from his seat.

Ryou pouted slightly, "Well, this game will be slightly different from last time!"

"Hmph."

"I'll be quick, then we can start the game!" Ryou smiled and began his explanation, "You know the basic rules of Monster World. The dice controls everything, and the Game Masters comes up with and keep the story going."

He stopped talking for a moment to look around at everyone, whom each nodded in acknowledgment.

He continued, "What will be different about this game, is that there will be two models. And with two models, that means that the gameplay will be different, too!"

He pointed over to each game model, "You see, when in the main path or field, any step could take you to the other model. The same goes for in the desert. For all you know, you could end up just going back and fourth!"

Ryou laughed, a bit nervously.

"How annoying." Tristan scowled, though he shut up when he received a slight glare from the yami.

"Furthermore," Yami Bakura said, taking a glance at the drawer built into the table, with a few pairs of dice and various clay pawns inside. "While I will be in charge of the dice, my Hikari will put all necessary data into the computer, which will help to decide your fate in this game."

Ryou nodded after hearing what his job was. "And your characters have the same stats and back stories as last time, just so you know. Their data is still in the computer. …Did the Pharaoh hear all of that?"

"Yeah, of course he did!" Yugi looked over to his hopefully-still-a-friend, suspiciously. "…Wait, the way you're talking. You're not really planning on-?"

"Oh don't be stupid, vessel." Yami rolled his eyes, "The lot of you are only pawns in our game against the pharaoh."

Tea gasped, slamming her foot on the ground, "There's no way I'll let you trap me inside that stupid thing again! No way!"

Ryou frowned, though decided not to say anything.

After all, it wasn't like being trapped inside of a body that wasn't a real, natural body would be exactly comfortable.

Hopefully White Mage and the Thief King were doing all right.

"Oh, but you don't have a choice, my dear." Yami laughed, darkly, "…Besides, don't you want to save your friend?"

Tea and Yugi exchanged glances.

"If you really want to save him, you'll have to find him, yourself." The evil spirit said, coolly.

"So… We'll have to find him in the model?" Yugi asked, "Which model is he in?"

"That's for me to know and you to find out."

Yugi took a deep breath, "Okay… Then we need to find Joey as soon as possible. Put us in the model any time, Bakura!" he said, bravely.

"Yeah!" Tea and Tristan said in unison.

Ryou looked over to his darkness, "Yami…?"

Yami grinned, "Well said."

Yugi gulped as the Yami Bakura pointed his finger out and exclaimed in excitement, "With this, the game can now begin! Mind doll!"

* * *

><p>The player's bodies each fell onto the table, eyes open and lifeless.<p>

Ryou stared at them, mouth open.

He had never actually gotten to see what his yami did to people.

He always saw the outcome of it.

He usually saw what took place moments before.

Though never had he seen the actual deed in action.

The bodies of his friends just sat there…

It didn't scare him as much as it should, but it wasn't exactly something he was looking forward to seeing all throughout the game.

Yami chuckled, stroking his host's hair, "Don't worry, when we win, the first thing we'll do is get rid of the bodies."

Ryou laughed, nervously.

* * *

><p>There was a loud scream from the game world.<p>

Tea's pawn, the Magician Anzu, waved her arms around in a fit, screaming loudly as the other possessed pawns tried to calm her down.

"Calm down, Tea!" The pawn of Tristan, Magic Gunman Hiroto, groaned.

Beast Tamer Yuugi, Yugi's pawn, nodded. "My yami will save us! We just have to focus on finding Joey!"

The Magician gave a quick sigh and finally nodded, "Right, sorry… I just hate these miniatures."

"It's not like we don't." Magic Gunman scowled.

Beast Tamer took a look around the game world.

It was so different than the last time we had played.

"I wonder what the Dark Game Masters have in store for us…" He mumbled to himself.

* * *

><p>Ryou blinked when he noticed Yugi's body begin to move.<p>

The Millennium Puzzle glowed, and the Pharaoh sat up, glaring at Yami.

"So glad you could join us, Pharaoh." Yami smirked, leaning against the table.

"Save it, Tomb Robber." The Pharaoh snapped at his fellow darkness.

He looked over to Ryou, who was silently fidgeting with his sleeve, and sighed. "I can't say I'm happy with you, Ryou Bakura."

Ryou bit his lip, though he relaxed a little when Yami placed a hand on his shoulder.

"_Don't bother feeling pressured by the Pharaoh. It's a little late for second thoughts, Landlord._" Yami told him over the mind-link.

Ryou smiled sweetly, "Sorry, Yami Yugi… Let's make this a good game."

The Pharaoh nodded, "Alright, sounds good."

He picked up the dice, "Now, it's my turn. To start off, they'll head to the town."

* * *

><p>Beast Tamer, followed by his party members, pushed open the doors to the bar.<p>

They were there to get the information they needed to play the game.

Such as the games story…

They needed to know what they were going to be up against.

Zorc had been defeated in the last game, and now they were going to be up against someone –or something- new.

When the adventures entered, they certainly weren't expecting to be practically attacked by overly thrilled villagers.

"Welcome, great heroes!" They cheered.

"Um… Thank-you?" Beast Tamer blinked.

The barkeeper made a low bow, addressing his guests, "We should be the ones thanking you. We never did get the chance to give you our thanks when you defeated the evil Lord Zork."

"It was no problem." Magic Gunman said.

"Come, have a seat." The Barkeeper led the heroes to a long table, and a waitress took their orders.

"We've been expecting you for days." The barkeeper continued, sitting down along with other villagers who decided to take their seats next to the heroes.

"How did you know that we were coming ahead of time?" The apprentice magician asked.

"The king came a few days ago and foretold us of your arrival. It was his idea to give you a warm welcome."

"The… King?" Beast Tamer tilted his head to the side.

"Yes." The barkeeper said, "King Bakura, the White Wizard."

The adventurers gasped. "White Wizard… Bakura?"

"He's the pawn who helped us defeat Zorc!" Magic Gunman slammed his fist on the table in realization.

"So he's the king now?"

"Who would have thought?"

Beast Tamer smiled.

It was nice to know that he'd be meeting past friends again in this game.

A sad look came over the barkeeper's face. "Yes… Such a kind, sweet king he is. Of course this celebration for your arrival is all in his honor. Bless his soul."

Beast Tamer frowned, "Did… Something happen to him?"

"Just yesterday." The barkeeper chuckled, dryly, "How ironic, I should say, that the day before the great heroes of Monsley Kingdom come, our king should be nothing short of kidnapped."

"K-Kidnapped?" The adventurers gasped all at once.

"Who could have done such a thing?"

"The evil ruler of our neighbor country." The barkeeper held a hand out, "Listen and listen well… To the story of the evil King of Thieves."

Villager gathered all around the table, drinks in hand, filled with interest.

"The King Akefia of Thieves is a cruel, greedy man who cares only for his own pleasure." The Barkeeper began, "It was his brother who was on the throne before. Back when the two kingdoms were at peace. The Thief King came across a creature… A white demon, and was consumed by his own greed."

"That doesn't sound good…" Magician gulped.

"White demon…" Magic Gunman's eyes widened, "What if it's… That creature?"

He wasn't the only one who came to that conclusion.

"That means… That Bakura really was the one behind that monster!"

Beast Tamer scowled.

* * *

><p>Of course it had been Yami Bakura who destroyed their chance to go to the mountains and to the Duel Monster competition that they were so looking forward to.<p>

It was all so he could challenge the Pharaoh.

Did that mean that Ryou was also…?

No, Ryou wasn't the kind of person who would go that far just to play a game.

Beast Tamer wasn't going to pin the blame on his friend.

Ryou might be helping his yami, but that didn't mean that he knew of everything that happened.

* * *

><p>The Barkeeper didn't pay any attention to their side conversation, and continued on with his story.<p>

"The Thief King killed his own brother and took the throne for himself. He turned his world into a dark wasteland, taking maidens away from their families to become his servants and many other horrible things. And what more, he plans to take over this world, as well. That's why he took our own king prisoner. I pray for his safety."

"That's unforgivable!" Magic Gunman stood up from his seat, yelling at the top of his lungs.

"Don't worry, we'll save the king and our friend!" Beast Tamer said, bravely.

"Yes, no doubt the Thief King has Joey, too!" Magician nodded.

"I see… Your ally has also fallen victim." The barkeeper said, grimly, "Then I wish you all the best."

"Thank-you. We'll save the day for sure!"

"Of course. And in the meantime… Please, stay a while and have more to drink! Heal up before the long journey!"

* * *

><p>The adventures did stay for a little longer, drinking until they were full and telling lots of stories.<p>

The festival went on for many game hours, with plenty of singing and dancing.

Though none of it could have possibly been as much fun, knowing that their friends were in danger more and more every second.

* * *

><p>"So that's it, then." The pharaoh pondered over what the Barkeeper had told them.<p>

"Mhm!" Ryou giggled, "I came up with that all on my own!"

"Looks like this is going to be quite an eventful game, wouldn't you say?" Yami snickered.

The pharaoh looked down at his game pawns.

His friends trapped in game pawns.

"…Eventful, indeed." He muttered.

* * *

><p>It was in the very castle of Monsley Kingdom where the Thief King Bakura stood, laughing loud and proud.<p>

"Man! This game's already pretty fun!" He stood at the door of the dungeon, where his two captives were, "I've already got control over _both_ castles and I'm on a roll! Can't wait to see what's going to happen next!"

White Mage Bakura got up from his seat on the ground, wiping off dust from his robe. "When Master said you were a king, too, I didn't think I'd be having to spend the whole game with you!"

"I'm not complaining. You're pretty fun to kidnap!"

"Well, I sure didn't have fun!"

"Damsels in distress aren't supposed to have fun."

"I-I'm not a girl!"

"Could've fooled me!"

"But I'm not! How could you even think that?"

"You're wearing a dress."

"It's a robe!"

"A very pretty robe. ~"

"…Stay away from me!"

The two spirits paused their bickering when they saw a slight movement from the third pawn in the room.

Warrior Jou, the pawn of Joey, slowly opened his eyes.

"Nyeh…? Where am I?" He mumbled, sleepily.

Warrior shot right up with a gasp as his memories came back to him. "Bakura! H-He… Who are you?"

Thief King blinked as White Mage got into character and went over to the other prisoner.

"I'm the White Mage Bakura." White Mage smiled, "Welcome back to Monsley Kingdom!"

"What? Monsley Kingdom?"

"Heh, about time you woke up." Thief King grinned, standing right over them.

"Wha… What's going on? Tell me what's going on!" Warrior growled.

"Whoa, slow down there!" Thief King laughed, "All you need to know is that for the time being, you're at my mercy. That's right, you're my captive! So I suggest that you be a good little hero and _shut your mouth_."

Warrior twitched and clenched his fists, "Like heck I'm gonna _shut my mouth_ for the likes of you! Let me go!"

Thief King glared down at the boy, hard and hatefully. "Well, then… That's not any way to speak to those who're better than you!"

"Better than me, my ass!" Warrior sprang up from the ground to throw a punch at the thief.

Thief King sidestepped out the way, pushing the warrior to the ground.

"Brat!" He said, stomping his foot down onto the warrior's stomach.

Warrior made a loud cry, coughing violently.

White Mage gasped.

He ran over to Warrior and cast a healing spell over him. "Thief King! You can't bring harm to the heroes until the battle!"

"Hmph." Thief King spat, "Well, the sooner, the better. I can't wait to get rid of this stupid pest."

White Mage scowled.

Once the mage was finished with his spell, Thief King went over to the door, stretching his arms. "…You coming, Mage?"

White Mage gave the warrior one last look before standing up, "Yes, I'm coming!"

Before he could go too far, Warrior grabbed the mage by the leg.

"Eep!"

"Hey…" Warrior grumbled, "You're that guy who helped me and my pals beat Zorc, aren't ya?"

White Mage blinked, "Err… Yes."

"Then tell me something. Why are ya helping this jerk out?"

The mage made a sigh, "…I'm doing it for my master!"

"Master…?"

Before Warrior could say anything else, Thief King came and pulled the mage out from his grip. "Hey, let's go already!"

"We were talking!" White Mage stuck his tongue out at him.

"Well, excuse me, Princess!"

"I'm not a girl!"

"Sure, I'll just have to find you a pretty little princess dress and a tiara, then you'll be a cute little lady!" Thief King snickered.

"I'm not a…!"

"Are you guys done yet?" Warrior said.

"…You, shut up." Thief King frowned before dragging the mage out the door with him, where they continued their argument down the hall.

* * *

><p>With the move of the dice, the adventures made their way out of the village, fully healed and well rested.<p>

Now it was clear who the enemy was, and they had a job to do.

"Is everybody ready?" Beast Tamer asked as he checked his inventory.

"All set!" Magician winked.

"Thief King, here we come!" Magic Gunman called out, excitedly.

Beast Tamer smiled, "Come on Pharaoh, let's go save Joey and the King Mage Bakura."

"_I'll be with you all the way, Yugi._" The pharaoh told him, over their mind-link which existed even through the game world.

And with that, the heroes of Monsley Kingdom set out on their next greatest adventure.


	11. SideQuests In Yami's Game

Now the adventure of Monster World was finally on the go.

The heroes knew what they had to do,

And nothing was going to stop them from saving their friends, and defeating the villain.

The evil Thief King Akefia Bakura had kidnapped Joey and the King White Mage Bakura.

The Thief King, along with the evil white serpent.

The heroes of Monsley Kingdom, Beast Tamer Yuugi, Magic Gunman Hiroto, and the Magician Anzu, were now well on they're way to the forest.

They're every movements being controlled by the simple roll of the dice, used by the player in the real world.

They were his pawns in the game.

The pharaoh, Yami Yugi, was the one pulling all of their strings in his battle against the two dark game masters:

Ryou Bakura, and the Yami Bakura.

It was them, who attacked and kidnapped his friend, forcing them to play their game.

And even though Ryou was their friend, the pharaoh had no intention of losing.

He was going to win, and save his friends.

He just had to win.

* * *

><p>"Looks like the adventures are now out of the village, and out in the field now!" Ryou Bakura smiled as he typed something into the laptop.<p>

Yami Bakura smirked, pleased with where the game was going, "Yes, that means that they are now in enemy territory. Let's see what happens."

Ryou finished with the computer and said, "The percentage of monsters appearing here is only about ten percent."

"Ten percent." The pharaoh held tightly onto the dice, ready for the unexpected.

"_Well, Landlord, what do you say?_" Yami asked over his and Ryou's mind-link, "_Shall we put them into battle at this very moment, or do you see something worth waiting for?_"

"_Hm?_" Ryou took a look over to where the pawns were standing on the model.

The heroes were only steps away from one of the squares leading to the other model of Egypt right beside Monsley Kingdom.

Just by landing on that spot would "teleport" them instantly to the other game world.

In the other model, the game world's conditions would be much harder for the pawns to survive in, and the percentage of monsters would be much higher.

And a higher percentage meant more powerful monsters, in larger numbers.

An impossible fight for adventures who were already weak from smaller battles.

What a shame it would be if the heroes were to fall before they even got to the first castle.

Ryou frowned before answering, "_Can we wait a little longer, maybe?_"

Yami laughed, "_As you wish._"

Yami picked up his ten-sided dice, dropping it onto the table.

The dice landed on twenty-three.

"Twenty-three. Well, Pharaoh, it looks like your friends are safe for now." He said, "Now it's your turn, so make your move."

The pharaoh nodded, "Very well… They'll keep moving forward."

He raised an eyebrow when Yami let out a quick wave of laughter that only lasted a moment.

Even Ryou, himself, had a quick giggle.

"What, is there something on my face?"

"There's always something on your face, my dear pharaoh." Yami replied in a mocking tone.

The pharaoh rolled his eyes.

Ryou pointed over to the pawns, "See that square? That's one of the squares to take the players to the other model!"

"So that's it?"

"Yeah!" Ryou nodded, "So the moment the pawns touch it, they'll end up in my model of Egypt!"

"If that's the case…" The pharaoh took a glance over to the second model, "Then I suppose we'll be seeing that new model soon enough."

* * *

><p>The fields of Monsley Kingdom were beautiful.<p>

There was a slight breeze, and the grass blew in the wind.

Beast Tamer Yuugi sang out a cheerful tune as he skipped on ahead.

"Hey, wait up, Yugi!" Magician Anzu called out.

She and Magic Gunman Hiroto ran on after him.

"Huh-AHH!"

The two party members gasped as Beast Tamer was lifted up into the air.

"Yugi! Hang on!" Magic Gunman jumped up, grabbing his friend's leg in an attempt to pull him down.

This didn't go too well, as he was lifted up with Beast Tamer. "Whoaaa!"

"Guys!" Magician let out a quick scream, "…Wait for me!"

She jumped up and caught onto Magic Gunman's torso.

The three of them were thrown up violently into the never-ending sky, screaming their clay heads off.

* * *

><p>The heroes landed on the ground with a hard thud.<p>

"Uggg…" They slowly got up.

"My head…" Magician moaned.

"I feel dizzy!" Beast Tamer giggled, leaning against Magic Gunman, who gave him a pat on the shoulder.

It was then when they took a look around their surroundings.

"Where… Are we?" Magician blinked.

Beast Tamer's eyes widened, "This is Bakura's model of Egypt!"

"Bakura's model of Egypt?" Magic Gunman said, "So then we must have found one of his 'squares' and ended up here."

"Yeah, so we should look for another square to take us back!" Beast Tamer nodded.

"Right!" The party punched the air, yelling in unison.

Little did they know that the creatures of the desert were watching them.

* * *

><p>"That was interesting." The pharaoh blinked, "So that's what happens."<p>

"Pretty neat, huh?" Ryou smiled.

"Now…" Yami picked up his dice, "What is the percentage of monsters appearing?"

"Oh." Ryou went to typing information into the computer. "Eighty percent."

The pharaoh's eyes widened, "Eighty?"

Yami cackled, dropping the dice.

The dice landed, both on zero.

"Super critical!" The darkness gave a wicked laugh, "The heroes are attacked by four, level six, monsters!"

"Level six?" The pharaoh gasped, looking over to his only level one pawns.

"And to top it off, these monsters attack first!"

* * *

><p>The heroes gasped when four creatures, a scorpion, mummy, and two jackals, jumped out and attacked them, one-by-one.<p>

* * *

><p>"The adventurers are too shocked to move, and they each lose five hitpoints!" Ryou stated.<p>

* * *

><p>"Is everybody okay?" Beast Tamer rubbed his head.<p>

"Y-Yeah." Magician said.

"Now it's our turn." Magic Gunman got his weapon out, "Come on, Pharaoh!"

* * *

><p>The Pharaoh clenched tightly onto the dice.<p>

It was obvious that Yami was controlling the dice.

Just like last time.

And if he didn't find a way to stop Yami's way of getting criticals, then he and his friends would be in trouble.

Of course, you couldn't expect a thief to play fairly.

The Pharaoh frowned before dropping the dice down.

The dice landed on an eleven.

"Super critical! Alright, now the Magic Gunman attacks and succeeds!" He called out.

* * *

><p>Magic Gunman charged towards the scorpion, full blasting his guns.<p>

The bullets went right through the creature and it disappeared into nothing.

"Yeah, spot on!" Beast Tamer cheered his friend on.

Magic Gunman made a proud pose, "Nothing can get past me, not even a level six monster!"

* * *

><p>The Pharaoh made another roll of the dice, which landed on twenty, "Next goes the Magician!"<p>

* * *

><p>Magician waved her staff into the air, calling fourth a powerful wave of ice. "Ice magic, activated!" She called out.<p>

She threw her staff forward and the ice rammed right into the diagonal row of monsters, taking out the two jackals.

"Aww, those were the cutest monsters." Magician pouted.

"Well, now there's only one more to go!" Beast Tamer and Magic Gunman jumped up into the air, excitedly.

* * *

><p>"It looks like Yugi is up next…" The Pharaoh dropped the dice down again.<p>

The dice landed on a sixty-three.

"You needed to get a thirty or lower." Ryou stated, "Yugi's attack fails!"

* * *

><p>"Commanding hands!" Beast Tamer made an attempt to brainwash the mummy, however he failed when the monster broke free. "Oops…"<p>

"That means we have to go another turn!" Magic Gunman said.

"How much can our hit-points take?" Magician sighed.

The mummy chose Beast Tamer as its target and it stretched out its arms, lifting the pawn up and slamming him against the sand.

"Ack!" Beast Tamer coughed.

"Are you okay, Yugi?" Magician gasped, running over to the shortest pawn.

"Don't worry about me, Tea." Beast Tamer giggled.

* * *

><p>"What a shame." Yami snickered.<p>

"Hmph." The Pharaoh rolled the dice one last time.

The dice landed on a six.

"The Magic Gunman is successful in defeating the last monster!"

* * *

><p>"I'll get this jerk…" Magic Gunman took his turn, shooting double bullets at the creature.<p>

The mummy made a loud scream, before unraveling and disappearing from the game board.

"…All enemies are defeated!" Magic Gunman exclaimed.

"Yes!" The other two jumped up in excitement, "Next stop is the town!"

* * *

><p>The Pharaoh chuckled, leaning back in his seat, "It shouldn't take long for me to defeat you a second time, Bakura."<p>

Yami sent the darkest, most hateful glare over to him, "You won't be saying that for long."

"Oh really? You're forgetting who the King of Games is."

"Says the man who doesn't even remember his own name." Yami put his hands into a tight fist, "Mark my words… By the end of this game, I'll have you on your knees, begging for mercy."

Ryou said nothing, only looking back and fourth between the two spirits.

* * *

><p>The adventurers made their way though large dunes of sand, going into the odd battle.<p>

The managed to use up quite a bit of their magic, and were running low on items to heal with.

By this time, they were now weary and tired.

They had leveled up quite a bit to the point where each party member was at least level five.

Eventually they made it to a city in the Egypt model.

The city was a surprisingly busy place, considering how empty everywhere else had been.

There were pawns all over the place, children running around, women talking to each other, and the men behind the counters of shops.

The heroes followed their stomachs, which lead them to the city's bar.

This bar was much more quiet than the one in Monsley Kingdom.

Everyone in the building simply kept to him or herself, and no one even gave the adventurers eye contact.

"What a weird place…" Magic Gunman whispered to Magician, who nodded in response.

Beast Tamer went up to the man behind the counter, "Um, could we please speak with you?"

"What do you want?" This barkeeper seemed a lot colder than the one in Monsley Kingdom.

Magic Gunman scowled and exclaimed, "We want to know about the Thief King!"

It was then when every set of eyes shot up to stare them down.

This didn't discourage the heroes at all and Magician continued, "We'd like to know where he is, or if there's anything we should know about him."

The barkeeper slammed down a mug of some kind of drink. "You have to make it worthwhile to me before I go leaking important information about our king."

Beast Tamer looked around, "Wh-What can we do for you?"

"Bring me an apple."

"An… Apple?"

"Yes." The barkeeper grew a greedy face, "How red and delicious they are! Not like anything in the desert!"

* * *

><p>"Will they accept this side-quest?" Ryou giggled.<p>

The pharaoh thought for a moment, "An apple, we would have to find in Monsley Kingdom. Probably in the forest…"

"So they're going on a little walk." Yami teased.

"Do we have time for such a quest?"

"It's your choice…" Ryou prodded.

"Well… When we do find it, we'll be able to get as much information as we need. And I suppose anything could help." The Pharaoh finally decided.

* * *

><p>"We'll do it!" Beast Tamer nodded.<p>

The barkeeper smirked, setting down a few more drinks for the travelers. "Perfect. Now just drink up, get lost, and get me my apple!"

"And you'll tell us what we need?"

"I'll tell you what I know."

"Great."

* * *

><p>From the castle of Monsley Kingdom, Thief King Bakura sat back in the throne with a smug look on his face. "Man, I all I'd need is a nice glass of something and this would be perfect!"<p>

"Easy for you to say." Grumbled the White Mage Bakura, who was sitting on the cold, stone steps beside the thief.

"Yeah, it is easy for me to say."

"You're on my throne!"

"Then you should get another one."

Since the Thief King had taken over the castle, the guards had all fled.

The throne room was almost empty other than the two goblins who stood at the door.

And in all honesty, those goblins couldn't wait to leave so they wouldn't have to hear any more of the Thief and Mage's constant bickering.

"You know, most prisoners aren't allowed to talk." The first goblin groaned.

"Tell me about it." The second made a gesture as if to shoot himself with a hand-gun.

"I heard that!" Thief King yelled from the other side of the room.

"Oh, shoot-!"

Thief King burst out in a fit of laughter.

White Mage rolled his eyes, resting his head in his hand. "I wonder when the heroes are going to get here."

"Who cares? I'm having fun!"

"Well, I'm not!" White Mage scowled, then speaking quieter, "If you're having fun, then I wanna have fun, too."

"…Oh really?"

White Mage mentally cursed himself, "Y-You didn't hear that!"

Thief King smirked, amused, "Oh, but I did."

White Mage scooted away when Thief King got off the throne, kneeling in front of him.

"You want to have my kind of fun?" The Thief King asked in a playful tone.

"N-No!" White Mage snapped, "I don't! I hate your kind of fun!"

"Oh, but I think you do…" Thief King reached over, taking hold of the Mage's hands and pulling him to his feet.

White Mage blinked as the Thief then pulled him out of the throne room with him.

* * *

><p>"Where are we going?"<p>

Thief King snickered, "Well, if it's a fun time you're looking for, then what better than to give our little captive a visit?"

"Wh-What?" The Mage winced, not at all liking the situation.

The headed down a long staircase, leading to the dungeon.

Thief King cackled as he looked through a window in the door, "Well, hey in there."

It was hard to see in the darkness of the cell, but there was a slight movement, along with the grunts of the Warrior Jou getting up from the ground.

White Mage almost felt sorry for the poor pawn.

Even he was in a better situation than the Warrior.

"Urg, wha…?" Warrior yawned.

"I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" Thief King teased.

"What did you say…?" Warrior seemed to leap right up to his feet, with a look on his face that said 'watch out, and for the love of all that is good, don't make me angry'.

"Want me to repeat myself? I can speak s. l. o. w. e. r. if that'll make you feel better about yourself."

"Shut up!" Warrior would have tackled the door down if he wasn't chained to the wall. "What do you want, anyway?"

The Theif King nudged the Mage in the arm, "C'mon, say something. I'd bet just about anything will set this guy off."

White Mage gulped before speaking, "…You're friends are coming. B-But you already knew that, didn't you?"

"…Yeah, that's right, Mini Bakura." The Warrior said, "My friends will always be there for me, no matter what. They'll come here, save me… And then bring the end of your stupid rein!"

White Mage frowned, slightly.

Thief King gave him a pat on the shoulder, "Say something else. Try making it intimidating."

"Intimidating…?"

"Yeah, you heard me."

White Mage stuck his tongue out before speaking again to their prisoner, "However… I'm sorry, but they won't make it here alive to save you."

Thief King chuckled, poking the Mage on the cheek.

White Mage swatted his hand away and waited for the Warrior's reaction.

"E-Eeep!"

A large stone came flying and hitting the door.

The Mage jumped, clinging onto Theif King's arm, who was laughing like no tomorrow.

"Don't you dare do anything to hurt my friends! You hear me?" Warrior exclaimed, angrily.

Thief King took his turn and grinned, "And what if we do? What are you going to do about it?"

"I'll kick your butts on my own for the others!"

"Oh please, you can't do anything without your _friend's _help."

"…What?"

"Face it," Thief King said, "If you could actually do a thing or two on your own, you wouldn't be here, locked up and waiting for your pals to come rescue you."

White Mage simply watched the Thief, wondering what he was up to.

Thief King continued, "And for all you know, they probably think you're not even worth saving."

The Warrior simply stood there, on the other side of the door.

He said nothing, but he was shaking with anger.

Eventually he muttered, "Take that back. Take that all back."

"Sorry, what was that?" Thief King was almost giddy in the excitement of angering the Warrior, "I couldn't hear you."

"I said _take that back_!" Warrior snapped, "I'm just as strong with and without my friends there for me, and I can definitely kick your butt!"

Thief King's tone became silent, almost in a whisper, "_Prove it._"

The Warrior called out, proudly, "Because even when I don't have my friends, I will always believe in our friendship, and that'll give me all the strength in the world!"

There was the sound of a large crash in the cell.

Then only moments later, the door was pushed to the ground with a thud and the Warrior sprang out, looking completely enraged…

And sword at hand, right about ready to attack.

"W-We made him too angry, Akefia…" White Mage pulled on the Thief's coat in fright.

"Yeah, isn't this fun?" Thief King laughed.

"_Fun?_"

"Oi, quite talkin'!" Warrior snarled, "You got me angry, so now you're gonna get it!"

Thief King grinned, darkly, "Oh, the big and scary Warrior is angry. I'm just shaking."

"Grraaah!" In a rage, Warrior jumped up with his sword to attack the Thief and Mage.

"Aiee!" White Mage squeaked in fear.

Before the Warrior could get to them, almost by reflex the Mage whipped his staff out, calling,"Mind blank!"

The Warrior fell to the ground.

He slowly got up, almost in a robotic manner.

White Mage gasped when he realized what he had done.

The Warrior's eyes were completely blank, with no sense of emotion.

"Wh-What did I just do…?" He whispered.

Thief King, on the other hand, laughed with a laugh that echoed all through the walls of stone. "Wow! Man, that was something!"

"How can you just laugh?" White Mage snapped, "I don't even know where I learned that spell from, and I don't have a clue how to turn him back!"

"You worry too much, Mage." The King of Thieves flicked the Mage's nose.

White Mage glared at him.

Thief King went on to examining their victim of a warrior. "Besides, I think this is where the real fun starts."

"…Is he okay?"

"Only one way to find out." The Thief King then whispered into the Warrior's ear, "Now, what was that you were saying just a moment ago?"

Warrior spoke out in a monotone voice, "I hoped to forget such treachery."

A wave of excitement hit the Thief, and he spoke to the hypnotized Warrior again, "Within only a short time, the arrival of those heroic brats is coming sooner than you think. …And it'll be your job to get rid of them."

Warrior simply stood there, staring out at the wall, with blank eyes.

Eventually he spoke in that same, monotone voice, "Yes, Master."

Thief King burst out in hysterical laughter that must have filled the entire castle.

White Mage was silent, staring at the Warrior in both fascination and utter horror.

This wasn't going to end well, was it?

* * *

><p>And so, once rested up and ready to go, the adventurers set off back to Monsley Kingdom.<p>

It was after a couple of other battles when they finally found another square to take them back, and they quickly made their way to the woods.

The Monsley Woods were surprisingly quiet, even with all the monsters inhabiting it.

Even with the villainous Thief King running around with his evil plans, it certainly wasn't the same, dark place as when Zorc threatened the land.

A breeze caught the branches, 'causing the leaves to gently fall to the ground as the heroes walked.

"Compared to last time, this place is actually kinda nice…" Magician smiled, looking above as the sun shinned through the three branches.

"Yeah, it's really peaceful here." Beast Tamer giggled.

"Without the monsters, I'd love this place even more." Magic Gunman laughed, "Keep an eye out for any apple trees."

"Right!"

* * *

><p>Ryou had declared the woods a sixty percent chance of monsters appearing, which meant no easy trip for the three heroes.<p>

"The Magic Gunman takes a successful turn!" The Pharaoh called, after seeing his die's result.

* * *

><p>Magic Gunman shot right through three monsters, defeating them all and ending their fifth battle since they had entered the woods.<p>

* * *

><p>Ryou checked the laptop and smiled to the Pharaoh, "As a reward for the victory, the Magic Gunman goes up to level four!"<p>

"A level up. Perfect." The Pharaoh was sure to return the smile to the white-haired host.

Ryou continued, "So far the stats have Beast Tamer Yuugi, at level three, Magic Gunman Hiroto, at level four, and Magician Anzu, at level three."

"Still not enough to defeat the Thief." Yami grinned, leaning back in his seat.

The Pharaoh's smile formed into a smirk, "Oh, you'd be surprised by what my Hikari and his friends are capable of."

"We'll see about that."

* * *

><p>An essence of magic circled around the Magic Gunman as he gained a level.<p>

Beast Tamer and Magician jumped into the air with a cheer, and high-fived.

"Congrats, Tristan!" Magician giggled.

"Yeah, I feel stronger already!" Magic Gunman nodded.

"We'll save Monsley Kingdom in no time at all!" Beast Tamer laughed.

"…Hey, look over there!"

It was then when they saw it…

And what a beautiful sight it was.

In front of them was the largest apple tree they had ever seen.

Minus the fact that there were only about half the amount of apples that there should have been.

"…What happened to them all?" Magician blinked.

"I think that can be answered if you look over there." Magic Gunman said, pointing to a branch where two monsters sat, munching quite happily on a pile of apples.

Beast Tamer gasped with a smile.

He knew those monsters.

Pokii and Pao sat down, chatting quite pleasantly.

"Pokii! Pao! Save some apples for us!" Beast Tamer called out to them with a wave.

"Wh-Who was that…?" Pokii blinked.

"I dunno, they'd just better not be after _our _apples!" Pao huffed, plopping an entire apple into his jaws.

Pokii looked down and stood up, "Master? Is it really you?"

"It is!" Beast Tamer lifted his arms up into the air.

Pokii's eyes lit up with admiration.

Without even a second thought, he threw away the apple he was eating and jumped right off the tree and into Beast Tamer's embrace.

"Oh, Master! It's really you!"

"…Wait, Master's here?" Pao stuffed down another apple and flew down with the others. "Sorry, I didn't see you there!"

"I'm very happy to see both of you again!" Beast Tamer giggled.

"We're happy to see you, too!" Pokii nodded.

"And don't forget about us!" Magician and Magic Gunman stood there, hands on their hips.

"We never forgot about you, either!" Pokii and Pao gave each other a glance before jumping into the arms of both Magician and Magic Gunman.

Magician smiled sweetly as she stroked Pokii on the head.

Pao climbed up onto Magic Gunman's shoulder, with a grin stretched over his face.

Magic Gunman chuckled, "So have you two always been with each other?"

"Ever since our adventure, yeah!" Pokii exclaimed.

"Yeah," Pao continued, "When you went back to your world, we just stayed with each other."

"And we've been having apples for supper!" Pokii said.

"Speaking of which…" Magician said, "We need an apple or two."

"Huhh?" Pao flew back up to the branch, on top of the pile of apples, hugging them, "N-No way! You can't have them. They're ours! We claimed them!"

Pokii rolled his eyes, "Come on, Pao! Our Masters need these apples for probably a good reason, and… You already ate enough!"

"You can never have enough apples!" Pao stuck his nose up into the air, "And besides, an apple a day, keeps the doctor away!"

"Sure, but just look what they bring in…" Pokii mumbled as a small worm came crawling along on the ground.

"Eeep!" Magician screamed, jumping back and dropping the round monster on the ground.

"I hope you're not after my apples, too!" Pao spat out to the worm, which had begun climbing up the tree.

"…Hey, does that worm seem strange at all?" Magic Gunman slowly began to back away.

* * *

><p>The Pharaoh leaned over the table, narrowing his eyes as he examined the worm pawn. "What on earth is that…?"<p>

He gasped when he noticed the worm begin to grow…

Yami snickered to himself, watching the Pharaoh's expression change almost instantly.

He then dropped the dice, getting a super critical.

"E-Everyone!" The Pharaoh called into the model, "Get away from that thing, now!"

"Too late, Pharaoh!" Yami laughed, "The monster attacks!"

* * *

><p>The adventurers all stood there, frightened as the worm grew to about the size of the tree itself.<p>

"Pao, get off of the tree!" Pokii leaped from Magician's arms to get to his friend.

"Pokii, come back!" Magician called after the monster, but was ignored.

Pokii flew back up to the branch and pulled at Pao. "Come on!"

"But the apples-!"

"Leave the dang apples!"

The tail of the worm then came and wrapped itself around them, lifting them into the air.

"Whaaah, help us, Masters!" The small monsters cried, clinging onto each other as the worm made a loud roar.

"Pokii, Pao!" Beast Tamer gasped.

"Let's go!" Magic Gunman got his weapons out, followed by the others, as they all got ready for battle.

* * *

><p>Ryou typed up something quickly into the computer, "Alright, Yami Yugi, first goes the Magician!"<p>

"Very well." The Pharaoh dropped his dice, which landed on a seventeen. "The Magician's attack is successful!"

* * *

><p>"Wind Hurricane, go!" Magician raised her wand in the air, and a tornado grew instantly.<p>

She threw the tornado towards the worm, sucking it in and throwing it into the air.

"Eeeeah!" Pokii and Pao cried, along with the worm.

"...I didn't mean to do that!" Magician waved her hands, defensively.

Beast Tamer watched the worm carrying his friends flop around in the air, until it finally hit the ground.

Hard.

"Th-That was... Unbearable..." Pokii mumbled, trying to reach his head to hold.

"I'm so sorry!" Magician would have run over to them, but Beast Tamer caught her by the arm.

"Tea, it's getting back up!" He whimpered.

The worm was limping from it's fall, but it managed to get up, hidden eyes glaring down at them.

One thing was for sure,

It was angry.

The worm swung its tail into the air, still holding the monsters captive, and threw it onto the ground, trying to crush the heroes.

The adventurers jumped out of the way, as quickly as they could.

"Hey, get us out!" Pao reached out his small arms, hoping to catch onto something.

Anything.

"We're comei-"

Before they had the chance to do any rescuing, the tail was sent back up into the air.

"We have to save them before they really get hurt!" Beast Tamer exclaimed.

* * *

><p>"It's Yugi's turn now!" Ryou still wore a smile, "Maybe this will turn things around."<p>

"I hope so, Ryou Bakura."

"Y-You can just call me Ryou..." Ryou's smile faded and he nervously twirled his thumbs, "Please."

The Pharaoh sighed, "Fine. ...Ryou."

Ryou's smile returned, "Thank-you."

Yami hid a scowl, "_Becoming friendly with the Pharaoh before we kill him, are you?_" He mocked through the mind link.

Ryou blinked, "_He isn't really going to die if he loses, is he...?_"

"_So what if he is?_" Yami laughed, lightly.

Ryou said nothing in response and looked back at the laptop screen.

"Well?" Yami snapped over at the Pharaoh, "Drop the dice, already!"

"Hmph." The Pharaoh dropped the dice, landing with a five, "Super critical! My Hikari's attack is successful!"

* * *

><p>Beast Tamer lifted his hands into the air, calling out, "Training hand! Jet Stream Punch!"<p>

A large glove appeared, and at a high speed it went straightforward, right into the worm's tail.

As the tail ripped right apart, the worm screeched into the air and the glove safely released the exhausted monsters from it's warm hold.

Too tired to do anything else, Pokii and Pao simply collapsed on top of each other.

"...Thanks, Masters." Pokii managed the say.

Beast Tamer made a thumbs-up, "Don't mention it!"

* * *

><p>"It's the Magic Gunman's turn now." Ryou peeked over the model to see what was going on.<p>

"Alright, Ryou. Now..." The Pharaoh dropped the dice, landing on a fourteen. "The attack is successful. Let's end this battle!"

* * *

><p>Magic Gunman stepped to his side and pointed his gun directly at the worm's head. "Say good-bye... Thunder Grenade!"<p>

Multiple bullets shot out, and went through the worm's head.

It was then when the worm fell to the ground, in half, and disappeared in a dark cloud.

"We did it!" Magician jumped up, clapping, "Great turn, Tristan!"

"No problem! Nothing's too hard for the great Magic Gunman Hiroto!"

Beast Tamer made a big sigh of relief.

He knelled down beside his monster companions, petting Pao gently on the head, "Are you okay?"

"Yeeaah, thanksss." Pao mumbled, dizzily.

"Well, that's good!" Beast Tamer giggled, "And you don't suppose we could take a few apples, now...?"

"I don't care, just take them! Take as many as you want!" Was Pao's response, "After this, I don't even want to look at another apple!"

Beast Tamer helped the two monsters up and Magic Gunman was sure to place the needed apples into their inventory.

Once their heads stopped hurting, Pokii and Pao flew up onto their master's shoulders.

"You're coming with us, aren't you?" Magician asked, cheerfully.

"You bet we are!" Pokii answered.

"Yeah," Pao nodded, "After an encounter like this, you can't just go off on another adventure without us!"

"Of course!" Beast Tamer grinned, "Now our adventure is going to be twice as fun with you joining us!"

* * *

><p>And with that, the heroes, now reunited with their monster friends, went off to find their way back to the world of Egypt.<p>

With only three battles stopping them in their travels, they made it to the city in no time and soon found themselves the bar.

"Here's that apple you asked for!" Beast Tamer placed the apple on the counter, in front of the barkeeper.

The barkeeper turned around to inspect the fruit. "You really did go all the way to the other world to get this, didn't you?"

"Yup! Right from the Woods of Monsley Kingdom!" Pokii and Pao exchanged a high-five.

The barkeeper smirked, tapping the apple, "Only one?"

"Not even close." Magician took out an entire bag, filled with apples, "When you give us the information we need, the whole bag is yours!"

The barkeeper's mouth dropped. "All _that_? And only for a little bit of info? My, you really are too good to a humble barkeeper such as myself..."

"Information first." Magic Gunman pounded his fist on the counter, "Tell us all we need to know about the Thief King Akefia."

"The Thief King, huh... Fine."

The heroes all circled around the counter as the barkeeper gave each of them a little something to drink.

"I should tell you, I am only a barkeeper and I don't know that much, myself. But I will tell you all I know."

"That's fine, thank-you. Every little thing helps." Beast Tamer sighed.

"Very good." The barkeeper began, "First of all... If you hope to defeat him, the first thing you should do is kill the demon serpent. The Demon of White. It is that creature where he gets his true power from... But if you're really lucky, you will never have to fight it. I should warn you never to look in its eyes, for the one who does will be the first to die."

Pokii gulped, "I'll keep that in mind."

"Me, too." Pao shivered.

"Oi, quiet ya stupid creatures, I'm talking!" The barkeeper rolled his eyes.

"Sorry."

"Anyway... When the Thief King kidnapped the king of the other country, he went back to the castle in that place only a little bit later. Without their leader, they were powerless to defend and the castle was easily taken."

"That's not good..."

"Yeah, well. Anyway. With the castles in both countries under his command, he won't be making your journey an easy one, that's for sure. I might not be that much help, but I can tell you where to go..."

"You can? That would be just what we need!" Magician sucked back her drink in excitement.

"Really? Great! Well, the Thief King took the king with him to the castle of the other country. Being a prisoner in your own home is pretty ironic, isn't it?"

"That's terrible." Beast Tamer took smaller sips of his drink as he listened, "We'd better get there as soon as we can."

"Before you go..." The barkeeper weakly pointed to the large sack, filled with apples.

"You've told us enough, thanks. You can have your apples now." Magic Gunman picked up the sack, putting it onto the counter.

"Many thanks." The barkeeper greedily ripped the bag apart and devoured the first apple he could get his hands on.

He held a second apple in the palm of his hand, "You know, there's nothing more perfect than a red, ripe apple. It's shape and taste... It's beyond perfect."

"Glad you like it." Magician said, sarcastically.

Pokii and Pao giggled.

* * *

><p>Once they were healed enough to go back out, the heroes went back to their adventure.<p>

It looked like they were on their way to the castle of Monsley Kingdom.

They were going to save their friend, Joey, and the king White Mage.

And they would put an end to the Thief King, along with Yami and Ryou's evil plot.

"Just wait you guys, we'll save you!" Beast Tamer smiled as he walked with his friend by his side, and his own darkness watching over him.

"We'll be there really soon, just hang on. Your friends are coming!"


	12. First Battle Against Yami

Ryou Bakura yawned, as he typed up some more information into the computer.

It was just as well that he didn't have control over his body, or his feet would have been numb.

By now, it was quite late…

Most of the residents in the apartments were already asleep, other than him and his friends…

Well, his friends who were trapped inside of clay pawns, and the spirit of an ancient pharaoh possessing Yugi's body.

Something told him that the game would be going on all night.

Sometimes he wondered if his yami ever got tired while using his body.

Not that this was any time to be tired.

After all, the game was finally starting to get interesting…

The heroes of the game world were now ready to save their friend, the warrior.

And with that, they would soon meet the Thief King Akefia for the first time, and maybe even the last time.

Oh, but Ryou hoped it wouldn't be the last time.

He did spend all that time writing the story…

It would be a shame if the adventurers all died before they got to the final battle.

Not that Ryou wanted them to die at all.

They _were_ his friends.

He couldn't even imagine a world without Yugi…

Of course Yugi would win.

Yugi always won, with the help of the Pharaoh.

He was the king of games…

And this was probably just another game for him.

And when he does win…

Oh, Yami Bakura would be so angry.

If they lost…

What would Yami do to him?

Ryou didn't want to think about that.

He just didn't.

* * *

><p>Ryou looked over to his yami, who was lying back in the seat beside him.<p>

"…Hm?" Yami glanced back to him, "What?"

Ryou's eyes retreated, and he looked down at his feet, a slight blush on his face. "N-Nothing."

"Whatever."

* * *

><p>Yami always had such cold eyes…<p>

They didn't scare Ryou as much as they used to.

Though, to anyone else, they would be the most frighting things ever.

Ryou smiled to himself, letting out a giggle.

His thoughts were so off topic.

When did a game ever trigger such deep thoughts?

Even if this was a game of life or death.

It was still a game.

The question was…

What will happen when the game ends?

If he and Yami won…

What would become of Yugi and the others?

And say Yugi and the Pharaoh did win.

Then what?

Ryou couldn't see his yami letting the Pharaoh leave so easily.

In other words…

Yugi was screwed either way, wasn't he?

Though the Pharaoh would protect him.

How could he not?

There was no way the Pharaoh would simply just let Yugi die…

Would he?

_Could_ he?

No…

The Pharaoh needed Yugi.

Yugi was the Pharaoh's Hikari.

If Yugi were ever to die, the Pharaoh would, too.

The same went for Ryou and Yami.

Which was the reason why Ryou stopped being so afraid of his Yami.

Although it seemed so long ago, now,

Ryou could remember when he met his yami in a dream…

* * *

><p>"Ryou?" The Pharaoh asked from the other side of the table, a somewhat worried expression.<p>

"Mm?" Ryou lifted his head up, blinking.

The Pharaoh smiled, "Could you tell me the percentage of monsters appearing?"

"Oh… Right, sorry."

Ryou could hear his yami snicker as he looked up the appearance rate on the laptop.

"Forty-six percent."

* * *

><p>The adventurers were well on their way to the castle of Monsley Kingdom.<p>

It took them a while to find another square to take them out of Egypt.

Not that they were in any real hurry.

They managed to gain quite a bit experience from the odd battle, and were now feeling pretty good about themselves.

The percentage of monsters increased to about eighty percent as they went through the forest.

"Wow… I'm almost out of magic points. I think we've got a high enough level for now. We should probably avoid monsters, so I won't have to keep healing everyone. …It's not like I'm a white mage or anything." Magician Anzu blinked, after checking her stats.

"Maybe we should take a little rest." Beast Tamer Yuugi took a look through the inventory, "I think we got an elixir somewhere in here."

"Right, thanks."

"A break sounds good." Pokii and Pao sighed in unison as they plopped down on the ground.

"Kinda funny how we went all the way to Egypt and back." Pao snickered.

"Well, that's a side quest for you!" Beast Tamer giggled.

"I never was a fan of backtracking in games." Magic Gunman Hiroto said.

"Right." Magician said as Beast Tamer handed her a bottle of elixir, "Let's just heal up here, and be on our way. The faster we get to the final boss, the better."

* * *

><p>The castle of Monsley Kingdom wasn't too far away.<p>

Which meant the adventurers would soon arrive…

White Mage Bakura giggled, taking a quick glance out a window and running back over to the Thief King Akefia Bakura, who stood over by a brainwashed Warrior Jou.

"Well?" Thief King crossed his arms, coolly.

"I saw them!" White Mage smiled, "The heroes are going to be here really soon!"

"Great, I guess." Thief King put his attention back onto the warrior, poking him in the forehead, "Maybe when they come, we can just toss this guy out the window and he can land on 'em. Or something."

White Mage frowned, "You mean you don't even have this planned out?"

"I'm making this up as I go."

"That figures..."

"Well, it's not like we have to kill them yet, anyway." The thief shrugged, "They'll just have a little fight. They win, for all I care; they can take their friend back. They lose and die, great. We can have a party."

"You know those are Master's friends you're talking about, right?" White Mage put his hands on his hips, pouting.

"Yeah, and?"

"You shouldn't talk like killing them is a good thing!"

"Isn't it, though?"

"Of course not! Killing people is wrong, Akefia!"

Thief King laughed, putting a hand on the mage's head, "Yeah, well killing people is _fun_, and having fun is _right_."

White Mage stuck his tongue out, "I don't like that logic."

"Hey, when they die, you're gonna be just as much as a murderer as me, so you can't really talk."

"Oh…" White Mage blinked, "Well, what if they win?"

Thief King gave a dry laugh, "Then I guess we're gonna be pretty screwed."

The mage gulped and hugged himself.

* * *

><p>"Are you ready, Yami Yugi?" Ryou giggled.<p>

"Of course I am." The Pharaoh dropped his dice; "I'm interested to see what the Dark Game Masters have in store for me."

Yami grinned, "I'm sure you won't be disappointed."

Ryou put the boss data into the laptop, "Good luck."

"Thank-you, Ryou." The Pharaoh nodded, "Though I'm sure I won't need it… For as long as everyone stays strong."

Ryou blinked, "R-Right…"

Yami rolled his eyes.

* * *

><p>"We finally made it…"<p>

The heroes took the first steps out of the forest and onto the stone ground of the castle walls.

They were going to save Joey.

And who else needed saving?

Oh yeah, the King White Mage.

"I can't believe you forgot that, Tristan." Magician scolded.

"Sorry… There's kind of a lot to remember." Magic Gunman rubbed the back of his head.

"Oh boy!" Pao punched his two fists together, "Let's get in there already! I'm just dying for some action!"

"Calm down." Pokii pulled on his companion's leg, "If you just go in there without thinking about what might happen, you'll die for more than just action!"

"I know, _mother_."

"Just saying."

"Pokii has a point…" Magician leaned in, taking a good look at the castle, "We really don't know what we're up against."

Beast Tamer took a deep breath, "Well, we're about to find out."

* * *

><p>"Oh, they're here now!" White Mage pointed out the window.<p>

"Got it. Let's get that other guy down." Thief King took the mage's hand, pulling him over to the warrior.

"Couldn't we just tell him to go down?" White Mage blinked, "He's been brainwashed, but it's not like he can't move. This whole thing would be kinda pointless if he couldn't."

"…Well, if you're so smart." The thief muttered, then looking over to the warrior, "Oi, you! Get down there to meet those guys."

Warrior turned his head to face them, a blank look on his face, "Yes, Master."

He then raced out the room, and down the stairs, leaving the thief and mage in a cloud of smoke.

"…Didn't think he could run so fast." Thief King blinked.

"I told you so!"

"Shut up."

"Hmph." White Mage pouted, until the thief knelled down in front of him, "…Uh, what are you doin-HEY!"

Thief King grinned, lifting up the mage into the air.

"Put me down!"

"Nah, don't feel like it." The thief then put his captive into a carrying position in his arms.

"Put me down, put me down, put me _down_!" The mage exclaimed.

"Relax, we're just going down to meet those other people."

"You didn't need to pick me up to do that!"

"Sure I did."

"Nu uh."

"Uh huh."

"No!"

"Look, let's just go already."

"I hate you."

"Love ya, too."

White Mage scowled.

* * *

><p>This wasn't what they were expecting.<p>

They were expecting…

Well, anything but this.

The adventurers stood there, staring right at their friend, who stood in their way of the castle.

"What…?" Beast Tamer blinked, "Joey?"

"Is he okay?" Magician said, "He looks a little… Tired?"

"What exactly did that Thief King do to him?" Magic Gunman growled, stepping forward, "Hey, Joey!"

Warrior simply stood there, eyes empty.

"Joey…?"

The Warrior slowly turned his head to his friend, a grin slowly forming on his face, "I have been waiting for you, heroes."

Magic Gunman and Magician exchanged glances.

"I have a bad feeling about this…" Beast Tamer mumbled.

* * *

><p>"What have you done to him?" The Pharaoh slapped his hand down on the table, shaking it.<p>

Ryou quickly took hold of the model, to keep it from moving, "It's just a part of the story… I mean, I didn't write that part, but even so."

"So you're saying it was the tomb robber's plan to use our friend and turn him into an enemy?" The Pharaoh's eyes narrowed.

"Oh, don't be so angry." Yami snickered, "It's not like this is the first time. Now it's just my turn to have some fun with your dear friends."

"Tomb robber…" The Pharaoh growled under his breath, "Messing with my friends is where you cross the line."

"It's only a game." Yami said, his voice full of sarcasm, "I thought you loved games… You even called yourself the "King of Games", did you not?"

The Yami Yugi could only glare.

* * *

><p>"Joey? Are you hurt?" Beast Tamer went right up to the warrior, "What did he do to you?"<p>

"Also, where's the king…?" Magician looked around.

"Joey?"

Warrior said nothing in reply, but jumped backwards, taking his sword out.

"Joey…?"

The brainwashed Warrior cracked a grin, "The Master has ordered me to end you…"

"Master?" Beast Tamer blinked, "Joey, what are you talking about?"

"It's my job to kill you, heroes of Monsley Kingdom."

"What-?"

Beast Tamer leaped out of the way when Warrior jumped to attack.

"Joey?" He gasped, "What are you doing?"

The warrior's dark eyes stared right through him, "Bringing you to your doom."

"Joey, snap out of it, man!" Magic Gunman ran up to the warrior, shaking his shoulders.

Warrior turned around, throwing a punch into the gunner's stomach.

"Eeep!" Magician backed away as the Magic Gunman fell to his knees.

"What's going on?" Pokii and Pao hugged onto each other in the air.

"Joey, what the heck?" Magic Gunman growled.

* * *

><p>From the shadows of the walls, the thief watched them with an amused smirk.<p>

"I almost don't wanna watch this…" White Mage sighed.

"Oh come on, it's funny!" Thief King laughed.

"No it's not!"

"How? How is this not hilarious?"

"It… It's just not."

"Hmph, whatever."

"By the way…" White Mage frowned, "You can put me down any time now."

"What if I don't feel like it?"

"The heroes are right there!"

"So? If they don't like it, sucks to be them."

"But-!"

* * *

><p>"…Hey, did anyone hear that?" Magic Gunman said, looking over to the direction of where the thief was hiding.<p>

"Is someone over there?"

* * *

><p>"Well, dang." Thief King said.<p>

"We were too loud…" The mage lowered his head, speaking in a more quiet tone.

Thief King shrugged, "Well, we'd might as well just show ourselves, already."

"Lemme down, first!"

"No."

* * *

><p>The adventurers gasped when the King of Thieves appeared from the shadows, with the King Mage in his arms.<p>

"It's the Thief King!" Magic Gunman pointed.

"And he has the White King with him." Pokii said, worried.

Beast Tamer simply stared at him.

He didn't like the feeling he got, just looking at the thief.

So this was the evil Thief King…

Everything about him just screamed "villain".

"You…" Magic Gunman got up, glaring at the thief, "What did you do to Joey?"

"Me?" Thief King grinned, "I don't have a clue."

"What? But how could you-"

White Mage shook his head, "I'm sorry, it's my fault."

The heroes drew their attention to the mage.

"You're fault…?" Beast Tamer asked.

"Yes. I used a spell on him that I don't know how to undo." White Mage tapped his fingers against each other, nervously.

Thief King laughed, "Yeah, Mage used some spell, and now your friend is under our control."

"You're control?" Magician exclaimed, "You brainwashed Joey?"

"That's right!" Thief King cackled, wickedly, "You're not going to be fighting us right away, instead, you're going to fight your best friend. And we're gonna have fun watching!"

"But that's… That's…"

"Wait, what do you mean, "we're"?" Beast Tamer said.

"Me and my Mage, duh!" Thief King chuckled, patting the mage on the head.

White Mage crossed his arms with a frown.

"Huh?" The heroes stood there in confusion.

"But didn't you kidnap him?" Magician asked.

"Sure, but that doesn't mean a thing."

"I'm confused!" Pokii rubbed his head.

"So the White King is siding with the Thief King?" Pao put his hands on his hips.

"I can't believe it!"

"But I thought we were friends…"

"So now we have two enemies?"

"Akefia, can you _please_ put me down now?"

"Heck no."

"Aren't we suppose to be fighting?"

"Oh… Right."

Thief King backed away, leaning against the wall, and drawing the attention back onto the brainwashed Warrior. "Let's cut back on the talk for now… Hey, Warrior, hurry up and kill them!"

Warrior smirked, getting into a battle position, "Yes, Master."

* * *

><p>"Now, how was that?" Yami sat back, arms crossed.<p>

The Pharaoh glared at him, "What a twisted game, you've created."

"Glad you think so."

Ryou finished putting the in the Warrior's stats into the computer.

"Ryou…" The Pharaoh sighed, "What will happen to Joey when we defeat him?"

"Oh?" Ryou blinked, "Well… It depends. If you're not careful, he could die."

"What?"

The white-haired host gulped, "Well, remember that he's under a spell. You could also try to free him."

"Free him?" The Pharaoh's eyes widened, "Of course! He's our friend, so I'll get him back for sure."

Ryou smiled and nodded, "Right!"

"Yeah, have fun with that." Yami picked up the dice, and dropped it, "The warrior attacks!"

* * *

><p>Warrior took a swing of his sword, taking five hitpoints from the Beast Tamer.<p>

"Wow… He's so strong." Beast Tamer took a deep breath.

He caught a hold of the warrior's leg, "Joey, you have to snap out of it! The Thief King is controlling you!"

Warrior kicked him off, "I will do as my Master says, and kill you."

* * *

><p>"Don't worry Joey, we'll get you back…" The Pharaoh mumbled, dropping the dice, "Next is the Magic Gunman."<p>

Sixty-seven.

"Oh, so sorry." Yami cackled, "I'm afraid the Gunman's attack fails."

* * *

><p>As Magician helped Beast Tamer up to his feet, Magic Gunman got ready for his attack.<p>

"Looks like we're just going to have to knock some sense into you!" He made a charge towards the warrior, weapons in hand.

He fell over when his foot went right into a crack in the ground.

"Tristan!" The other party members gasped.

"Heh." Warrior raised his sword up into the air, ready to attack the Magic Gunman while he was down.

* * *

><p>"And now..." Yami dropped the dice, grinning, "Super critical!"<p>

"Super critical? Must you cheat in every game we play?" The Pharaoh looked back and fourth between his friends on the game board, and the Game Masters.

"Cheat? Why I never."

"Oh, don't act so innocent."

* * *

><p>"No-!"<p>

The Warrior swung his sword down, slicing through the Magic Gunman.

"Arrgh!" Magic Gunman let out a scream as he lost twenty-five hitpoints.

"Tristan!" Magician gasped, running over to Warrior, "Joey, you can't let the Thief King make you do this. We're your friends!"

Warrior shoved her off; cold eyes looking at her, "I don't need friends."

Magician backed away, "Wh-What? But Joey-!"

"Death to all players." Warrior took a swing of his sword, right towards the Magician.

* * *

><p>"Dice roll!" The Pharaoh dropped the dice, which landed on a nine.<p>

* * *

><p>"Tea!" Beast Tamer called in a panic, "Jet Stream Punch!"<p>

A glove appeared, moving forward and taking hold of Tea before the Warrior had a chance to attack.

It released her back beside Beast Tamer, who gave a sigh of relief.

"Are you okay?" Pokii asked.

"Yes, thank-you guys." Magician nodded.

* * *

><p>"Pfft, boring." Thief King frowned, "He didn't have to save her, that would have been much more fun."<p>

"Well, I think it was sweet." White Mage giggled.

"Riiight."

"I do!"

"Sure, only 'cause you can relate."

"Wha…? What's that suppose to mean?"

"Oh you know very well what I mean."

"…"

* * *

><p>Ryou looked over, examining his yami's dice.<p>

Yami was cheating.

There wasn't a doubt about it.

But how was he cheating?

Ryou had thought that all the trapped souls Yami had to use were freed the first time the Pharaoh beat him.

When had Yami begun collecting souls again…?

Maybe…

Maybe that's what he had been doing during the week that Ryou was locked away in his soul room.

And Ryou would have never known about it.

Not that he knew about it the first time…

He sighed.

No matter how hard he tried, he'd never know the whole story behind Yami's actions.

"Something the matter, Landlord?" Yami placed a hand on his shoulder.

Ryou blinked, his thoughts having been disrupted, "Ah… Yami?"

Yami smirked, "If you want to know how I'm doing it, why don't you try it for yourself?"

"P-Pardon?"

Yami reached forward, taking a hold of his host's hand. "For the rest of this battle, why don't we switch jobs?"

"Oh…?"

He then placed the possessed dice into Ryou's palm, closing the hand. "Then you can see exactly what these brainwashed dice can do."

The Pharaoh leered over the table, staring at the two game masters. "What are they up to…?" He wondered.

Ryou smiled, looking into his darkness' eyes, "A-Alright. I'm curious… So I'll try."

"Good." Yami brushed some hair out of the younger boy's face, with a hidden smile, "I'm sure you won't be disappointed."

Ryou nodded, then looking back over to the Pharaoh, holding the dice out for him to see. "Yami and I have switched roles for this battle, if that's okay."

"You have… Switched roles?" The Pharaoh winced, suspiciously.

"Yes."

"…Very well, then."

Ryou examined the dice in his hand.

It certainly did have a different feel to it than other dice.

How did the poor soul locked away feel at the moment?

Ryou couldn't even imagine it…

"I guess it's my turn."

With that, he let the dice slide from his hand, and it fell onto the table.

A super critical.

"A-Amazing!" He gasped, placing a finger over his lip.

Yami chuckled, "I told you."

Ryou grinned, looking over to the Pharaoh, "Look, it's a super critical!"

The Pharaoh scowled, "Of course, it is."

Ryou giggled.

How did Yami do it?

How did a dice containing a soul be able to do so much?

Ryou would have thought that a dice wouldn't exactly be a great host for a stolen soul…

And yet it was as if this was the most powerful thing in the world.

"This really is something." Ryou smiled, "I mean, I knew it would be something like this… But not, well, like this. I think I can actually feel the soul inside."

Yami placed a hand on the boy's shoulder, a grin on his face, "Well, Landlord, that's the power of our ring."

Another giggle from his host, "We have the best ring ever, don't we?"

"We certainly do."

"Okay, Yami Yugi." Ryou stood up in excitement, "Now the warrior attacks!"

* * *

><p>The heroes quickly got out of the way as the Warrior came charging towards them.<p>

"Joey, you have to stop. Find it in your heart to believe us that we're your friends!" Beast Tamer pleaded.

"Please Joey!" Magician added.

Warrior said nothing, instead grabbing hold of Beast Tamer's arm, and raising his sword to attack.

"Yugi!" Magic Gunman ran over, and as Warrior began to swing his sword down, tackled Beast Tamer down, taking the hit for him.

Magic Gunman fell to the ground, his arm tearing off and landing on the ground next to him.

Warrior gave out a harsh laugh, stomping his foot on the clay limb until it lay there in pieces.

"My arm!" Magic Gunman stuttered, "I-It came clean off!"

* * *

><p>"Oh… That's not good." Ryou made a worried expression, "I guess Tristan's pawn wasn't in very good shape before we started. It came off so easily."<p>

"Isn't there a way to heal him?" The Pharaoh exclaimed.

"Mmm, maybe if the Magician knows any white magic." Ryou put a finger to his chin, thoughtfully; "She could heal everyone in this next turn."

"Oh, that's right." The Pharaoh blinked, dropping the dice, "The Magician's turn is successful, and she heals everyone to full health!"

* * *

><p>"Maybe this will help." The Magician raised her staff into the air.<p>

She called out a healing spell and energy was released.

The energy flew around in the air, touching every adventurer and instantly bringing them to full health.

"It's pretty!" Pokii said.

"Oh, this feels nice." Beast Tamer giggled, "Thank-you, Tea!"

"No problem!" Magician winked.

Magic Gunman gaped, as his arm seemed to magically appear out of nowhere, good as new, "Now that we're all healthy, I say we finish this and get our friend back."

"Yeah."

* * *

><p>Ryou smiled, "Well, now it's my turn."<p>

"Watch out, Ryou," The Pharaoh made a smug looks, "From here, it all goes downhill for you."

Yami stopped what he was doing on the laptop to send the Pharaoh a harsh glare, then giving a glance over to Ryou.

"Huh?" Ryou tilted his head to the side, "You don't know that for sure… I mean the heroes haven't even touched Joey yet."

"It will all end in this turn." The Pharaoh narrowed his eyes, "I know it."

"H-How can you be so certain?"

"Because I believe in Joey, and I know that he'll pull through for us."

"Yes, but…" Ryou winced, "How do you know you'll succeed in only one turn?"

"This isn't like Duel Monsters where one turn can last five hours." Yami snickered.

"I just know." Was the Pharaoh's answer, "And for as long as I believe in my friends, there's no way I'm wrong."

Ryou sighed.

The way the Pharaoh spoke constantly of friendship…

Was almost like he was just using it as an excuse to never be wrong.

Ryou mentally slapped himself for ever wishing that the Pharaoh was his own yami.

Yami cackled to himself and nudged his host, "Let's prove the oh-so great Pharaoh wrong, shall we?"

Ryou nodded, then dropping the dice, "Yes, lets."

A super critical.

Naturally.

* * *

><p>The heroes' fortune was short lived when the Warrior managed to sneak behind the Magician, stabbing right through her.<p>

The Magician made a deep gasped and fell to the ground.

"T-Tea?" The adventurers exclaimed, "Tea, are you alright?"

Warrior roared in laughter, it not even occurring to him that he had just stabbed his best friend.

"Joey, you have to stop this now!" Beast Tamer cried, "We're your friends. Don't you remember? Please, tell me you remember!"

"I… I remember no such thing."

"But… What about the time Marik took control over your and Tea's minds?" Beast Tamer waved his arms around, "I saved you both. It was a duel to the death, and I saved you both. I could have never let you down."

Warrior simply stood there.

Yugi couldn't be sure if he had heard him or not.

Saying nothing, the Warrior raised his sword up once more, as if to release yet another life threatening attack.

* * *

><p>"Here we go. One step closer to your defeat, Ryou." The Pharaoh grinned.<p>

Ryou gulped, "We'll just have to see."

"Yes." The Pharaoh dropped his dice, "The Magic Gunman attacks!"

* * *

><p>As the Warrior swung his sword down, Magic Gunman got his gun ready.<p>

"Not so fast." He mumbled, before shooting the Warrior right in the wrists.

The Warrior's weapon was knocked out of his hands, and it slid onto the ground.

* * *

><p>"Whoa, now that was something." Thief King laughed.<p>

"That looked like it hurt. Can they really do that?"

"Does it matter?"

"Yes, it does."

"Whatever."

"It's not 'whatever'!"

"Yeah, well I'm tired." Thief King yawned, "First thing we do when we get to my own castle, is take a nap."

"A nap? Wait… "_we_"?"

"Cool fight, huh?"

"No! Not a cool fight! How can you say that and then just not say anything else?"

"Sorry, what are you talking about?"

"Grrrh…"

* * *

><p>"Now, let's finish this up."<p>

Ryou looked over at the pawns.

The Pharaoh really was serious about finishing in one turn, wasn't he?

"What are you going to do now?" He asked.

"Just watch and learn, Ryou. Your turn."

"Ah... R-Right."

How was Warrior going to attack without his weapon?

Either way, it was his turn again.

He dropped the dice, the outcome, yet again, being a super critical.

What was the Warrior going to do?

Use his own hands to kill them?

* * *

><p>The Warrior growled, jumping up on the Magic Gunman in an attempt to choke him.<p>

When the Magic Gunman jumped out of the way, as the die's fate would have it, he went flying back into a tree upon contact with the Warrior's fist.

"Urgh… My head." He held his head, shuddering.

Warrior smirked, turning around to his weapon.

* * *

><p>"Onward with the Magician!" The Pharaoh called out, dropping the dice.<p>

Ryou watched him, wondering if he was hearing some kind of epic theme music in his head.

Yami began to laugh, "He probably thinks he's some kind of big anime hero, too."

Ryou giggled, then looking back to the game world to watch the Magician's next move.

* * *

><p>Before the Warrior had even a chance to retrieve his sword, Magician took her turn, setting the weapon a blaze.<p>

When Warrior picked it up, he dropped it again almost instantly as he screamed.

"Joey!" Beast Tamer gasped.

He looked up into the odd, multicoloured, sky, allowing him to take a brief look at what was going on in the real world.

"_Yami… Is Joey going to be okay?_"

The Pharaoh's voice became soft in his head, "_Don't worry, Partner, we will defeat the Dark Game Masters and get Joey back. I promise._"

Yugi smiled, asking only one more question, "_Will Bakura be okay, too?_"

This time the Pharaoh refused to answer.

* * *

><p>Yami leaned back, his face grim, allowing Ryou to look over to see what the stats were.<p>

Ryou's eyes widened. "Th-This isn't good… Just that one blow took a lot of damage from him."

"Hmph, and by his own weapon, too." Yami scowled.

The Pharaoh smirked after seeing the panic in the host's face, "I told you that I would finish this in one round."

Ryou looked down at his feet, holding his arm, somewhat embarrassed.

Yami had given him the chance to use the dice on his own, and for what?

Just so Ryou could lose against his yami's enemy?

But what could he do?

This battle was as good as finished.

"I'm so sorry, Yami." Ryou whispered, "I guess I shouldn't have expected to win."

Yami rolled his eyes, "Oh, don't go all depressed on me now. You still have another turn."

Ryou blinked, "Oh, you're right! …But, what can I do?"

His darkness grinned, wickedly, "If you can't get rid of the brats, murder the Warrior."

Ryou stared at him, "Wh-What? But then there wouldn't be a victor."

"Oh, but wouldn't that just be perfect?" Yami placed a hand on Ryou's own.

Ryou blushed, but shook his head, "I'm not going to-"

"**_Do it._**"

Ryou jumped in his seat, a small squeak escaping from his lips.

Yami cackled, "Well, then, Landlord. It's your turn. What will you do?"

A harsh shiver ran down Ryou's spine, and he dropped the dice, which landed on a super critical.

He then, reluctantly, declared, "The Warrior uses the last of his power in his final attack."

"NO!" The Pharaoh slammed the table, in both shock and fear.

Just the reaction that Yami was looking forward to.

* * *

><p>"Poor Warrior…" White Mage mumbled.<p>

"Eh, he'll get over it." Thief King shrugged.

"How can you be so inconsiderate?"

"Why do you care?"

"It's wrong of you."

"Isn't everything I do wrong?"

"Yes, very wrong."

"Good, glad we understand each other."

"Hmph." White Mage pouted, his eyes drifted back to the Warrior, "Wait, what is he doing?"

"Whadoya mean?" Thief King blinked, looking back to the battle, "Oh hey. Turns out the guy's suicidal."

"What? That's not good!" White Mage exclaimed, "Someone has to do something! Let go of me, and I'll stop him."

"Why bother?"

"…What do you mean 'why bother'?"

"Well," Thief King grinned and pointed, "If he dies by the Game Master's command, we still win."

White Mage stared at him, "You mean… Master's the one who's going to kill the Warrior? Why?"

"Like I know." The thief said, "But I don't really care, either."

The mage went onto quietly pondering to himself, "I bet it was all Yami's doing… He's always getting Master to do horrible things."

Thief King looked down on the mage, not saying anything.

* * *

><p>"…Joey, what are you doing?" Beast Tamer ran over to the Warrior.<p>

A now more conflicted Warrior knelled down by the sword once more.

"Joey, please don't do it!" Pokii and Pao pleaded together.

The Warrior screamed after picking up the burning metal once more, and went into a fighting pose.

He gave out a battle cry, and activated a special ability where energy went all around him.

"…That's not good." Magic Gunman said.

* * *

><p>"Well, that doesn't look good." Thief King blinked.<p>

"Not good! Not good at all!" White Mage cried.

* * *

><p>"This isn't good." The Pharaoh muttered.<p>

"Oh, this is very good." Yami smirked, quite pleased with himself.

* * *

><p>Energy engulfed the Warrior and he charged forward towards and right through the heroes.<p>

The attack took twenty percent damage from each adventurer, who flew backwards as they were touched.

"Is everyone okay?" Beast Tamer coughed.

"Yeah." Magic Gunman nodded, "I think we're fine."

Pao scratched his head, "Uggh, I'm not a player and even I felt that."

"I'm just glad everyone's okay, but that was painful." Pokii would have fallen out of the air, if Pao hadn't caught him.

Beast Tamer looked back to the Warrior.

The Warrior's energy increased, setting him completely on fire.

Beast Tamer gasped deeply, "Joey!"

The party watched their friend in horror.

"_Yami, we have to save Joey. Please!_" Beast Tamer pleaded through the mind-link.

The Pharaoh hastily answered, "_I won't let anything happen to our friends, Partner. It's your turn, and we will save him._"

* * *

><p>"How dare you do this." The Pharaoh hissed before taking his dice.<p>

Yami laughed, "And I suppose you plan to stop us."

"I do."

Yami raised an eyebrow, "…_What?_"

"My Hikari and I will put our hearts together, and we'll save Joey for sure."

He and Ryou exchanged glances as the Pharaoh dropped the dice.

The dice landed on a super critical and the Pharaoh smirked.

"Now… Yugi's turn is successful, and he saves the Warrior!"

* * *

><p>"Don't worry, Joey, we'll save you!" Beast Tamer raised his hand and a glove appeared, "Commanding hands!"<p>

The gloves were sent forward, wrapping Warrior into their grasp.

The heroes sighed in relief, as the Warrior was relieved from the fire.

The gloves continued to move around the Warrior, then eventually releasing him.

"Joey!" The adventurers ran over to him.

"Uggh…" Warrior looked around, "…Nyeh? Guys? What happened?"

Beast Tamer smiled, hugging his friend, "Oh Joey, you're okay!"

"Of course I am!" Warrior winced, "Why wouldn't I be?"

* * *

><p>Yami glared down at the game world, shaking with anger.<p>

Ryou gulped, "Yami… I'm sorry."

Yami ignored him, speaking over to the Pharaoh, "This is far from over, Pharaoh, I swear."

The Pharaoh crossed his arms, "Then why are you so angry?"

Yami growled, saying nothing.

Ryou decided to speak instead, "It wasn't part of the story for them to die right away."

He looked over to Yami with a smile, "You see, it'll be the next big battle when we'll defeat you."

Yami chuckled, "It'd better go that way."

"It will, Yami!" Ryou giggled, "But for now, the heroes are reunited with their friend, and will set off onto the second part of their adventure, where they will finally face against the Thief King."

"Hmm, that's right." Yami said, giving the Pharaoh an evil glare, "The next time the heroes meet the thief in battle, Pharaoh, it'll be their _last_ battle."

The Pharaoh narrowed his eyes, "We shall see about that, Dark Game Masters."

* * *

><p>"You mean you don't remember any of that?" Magician had a look of disbelief.<p>

"Yeah, that's what I just said." Warrior rolled his eyes.

"Good thing, too, I guess." Beast Tamer said, meekly, "You were really scary."

Warrior blinked.

He looked back and fourth, turning backwards and back forwards, "Wait, where are they?"

"Who?"

"Those jerks who had me locked up for who knows how long!"

The adventurers exchanged glances, "You mean…?"

Warrior stopped, looking straight ahead at the Thief King, who was leaning back, quite happily, against the walls of the castle.

"Well, hey there." Thief King said jokingly.

White Mage groaned, "Okay, really, put me down now."

"Do you ever shut up about that, Mage?"

"_You!_" Warrior snapped, enraged.

The heroes had to hold their new party member back from attempting to murder the thief.

Thief King laughed, "You having fun there?"

"I'm gonna kill you, whatever your name is!"

"Gee, if you're gonna make a threat like that, at least learn my name."

"What will happen now?" Beast Tamer went right up to the thief.

"Now?" Thief King grinned, "Heh, now you're done here."

"Done?"

"Well, sure. You had your boss fight, you got your friend back, what else is there to do?" Thief King shrugged.

"Can you tell us what our next move is before we finish this game?" Magic Gunman winced.

"I dunno, should we? Never was a fan of spoilers." Thief King looked down at the mage.

White Mage blinked, "Uh, well, it might be a good idea."

"Works for me!"

Thief King tossed the mage out of his arms to pose.

Landing with a thud, White Mage kicked his feet in the air, "Whaaah, so _now_ you put me down?"

"Are you okay?" Pokii poked the mage.

White Mage sighed, "…Yes, I'm okay, Pokii. Just very annoyed."

Pokii giggled, "I know how you feel."

The mage looked up at the monster in admiration, "Really? You do? We should get together sometime and just talk about all the people we really wanna yell at. That could be fun."

"Maybe after this adventure."

"Anyway," Thief King waved his wrist and the heroes listened, "Now you have to meet us again at the palace in Egypt. That's where we're gonna have the last battle of the game. Got that?"

"I got it," Magic Gunman grinned, "So we have to travel in the other world until we find you."

"You got it!"

Beast Tamer nodded, "Okay. Then we'll go to Egypt and find you there."

"And then we'll defeat you and save Monsley Kingdom!" Magician laughed.

"Yo, Tea, you're way too into character." Warrior tapped her on the shoulder.

"And you're not?"

"Well, I guess you know what you're doing now, so see ya." Thief King went over to pull the mage to his feet.

"Oh!" White Mage broke out of the thief's grip, "Before we go…"

He went over to the heroes, "You've won for now, so this is the least I can do."

He held his staff up, healing all of the adventurers immediately to full health.

"Whoa, this feels so much better." Warrior held up his hand, watching all his burn marks disappear.

"Thanks, Mage Bakura." Magician blinked.

Beast Tamer giggled and shook the mage's hand, "You're really not a bad guy, after all!"

White Mage smiled cheerfully, "I'm glad."

"Oi, Mage, hurry up!" Thief King snapped.

"I'm coming, Mr. Impatient!" White Mage frowned, running over to the thief and taking his hand.

"That's seriously the worst name I've ever heard."

"I think it fits you perfectly."

"Whatever, anyway, you know who I was thinking of bringing with us to my place? Those two Goblins. You know, the ones in the throne room. I love those guys! We totally need to bring them with!"

"Okay?"

"By the way, you're holding my hand."

"No I'm not!"

The heroes watched as the thief and mage went back into the castle, arguing.

"So… When was there an Egypt here?" Warrior blinked.

"It's a long story, we'll tell you later." Magic Gunman sighed.

"Right now, we're just happy to have you back!" Beast Tamer smiled.

Warrior smiled back, "Well, glad to be back. Now where's Bakura? When I get a piece of him…"

"We have to beat this game first before we get to Bakura and Ryou." Magic Gunman huffed.

"Who's Ryou?" Warrior asked.

"Er… The good Bakura."

"Oh. I knew that."

"Well, anyway, welcome to the party." Magician laughed.

"Yeah, it's nice to see you again!" Pokii and Pao flew over to the warrior.

"Nyeh? You guys!"

The Warrior took Pao by his hands, swinging the dragon around.

The heroes laughed together, watching the two dance partners.

Beast Tamer smiled.

* * *

><p>"Well, I suppose I should congratulate you, Pharaoh." Yami took his dice back from Ryou.<p>

"Hmph. I guess that really was some battle." The Pharaoh sighed.

Yami smirked, "Just know that you're so called 'luck' will not last."

"That's what you think. This may not be Duel Monsters, but I plan to defeat you all the same."

"You'll be saying otherwise by the time I'm through with you." Yami hissed, "The next time you meet our pawns, your friends will be finished, as will you."

The Pharaoh said nothing in reply, only sending Yami a glare.

Ryou smiled, poking his yami in the cheek. "Yami, thanks for letting me use the dice, even if I couldn't win."

Yami smirked and gave his host a pat on the head, "Of course, Landlord."

* * *

><p>Halfway there.<p>

They were halfway there.

This adventure was halfway done.

Beast Tamer was almost sad to know this; after all he was having fun now.

Ryou was always pretty creative when it came to writing stories.

He finally had Joey back…

Now all they had to do was defeat the Thief King once and for all.

They were halfway there.

Halfway there, and ready for anything.

So bring it on, Bakura.

Because they were ready for anything, and halfway there.


	13. When Yami Sets A Trap By Greed

Things in the RPG were really starting to get somewhere now.

Not too long ago, Ryou Bakura wasn't so sure what to think of his yami's plan.

At times he had liked it more than others…

But now, he was actually having fun.

He wasn't feeling so bad about tricking his friends and the Pharaoh anymore.

In fact, he was glad he did.

Not that he didn't like them anymore.

Ryou had always loved his friends.

But the Pharaoh…

During the whole game, Ryou had been listening to the Pharaoh go on about strength, friends, and how he was going to defeat them.

So after a while, Ryou had grown quite annoyed with him to the point where he was glad to have found out what kind of person the Pharaoh really was.

He had always thought that the Pharaoh was this great, kind, and understanding man who acted as a protector of Yugi.

But now he knew that the Pharaoh was only interested in being better than everyone else.

Ryou felt as if all the respect he once had for the man had suddenly gone down the drain.

What a shame…

At least now Ryou wouldn't feel so bad if the Pharaoh lost now.

And truth be told, now he wanted the Pharaoh to lose more than anything.

Just to see the look on his face when he loses.

Ryou giggled to himself, excitedly.

* * *

><p>"Having fun, Landlord?" Yami Bakura snickered.<p>

"I am!"

"Good, then."

* * *

><p>The Dark RPG was going along great now.<p>

The way the adventurers were going, they would reach the final boss in no time.

Now how the boss would go, Ryou wasn't sure.

He wondered what kind of tricks Yami had up his sleeve.

If things went well, the two of them could be amused for hours.

Something Ryou was looking forward to.

After all, he had never minded playing the villain.

Although he had always been the one to make things right again, sometimes it was nice to play the bad guy.

In this game, it was he and his yami against the Pharaoh.

And Ryou wasn't planning on letting Yami down.

Now all that there was left to do was to see what the heroes of Monsley Kingdom would do next.

* * *

><p>The adventurers all sat down on the grass, taking a break from the journey.<p>

Pokii and Pao chased each other in the air while the heroes were busy healing their wounds up.

"Oi, pass me that Elixir. My arm's killing me!" Warrior Jou groaned as he leaned back on the grass.

"Here, now stop complaining." Magician Anzu rolled her eyes before passing the liquid over.

Beast Tamer Yuugi sighed as he looked up into the odd sky of the game world. "Joey… Are you sure you can't remember?"

"Nyeh?" Warrior winced, "I already told ya. I can't remember a thing."

"Are you sure?"

"Yugi…" Magician put a hand on the shorter boy's shoulder, "Don't push him."

Beast Tamer slowly nodded, "You're right. Sorry, Joey."

"…'Sokay."

The heroes took only another moment of rest before they were on the move again.

* * *

><p>The game world was always so strange.<p>

Well, strange compared to the real world.

To the people of Monsley Kingdom, home was home and there wasn't anything strange about it.

The sky constantly changed coloures, and the weather was different in every area.

The flowing rivers glowed a greenish blue colour, and the grass changed from green to blue to purple.

It was like walking through an enchanted forest.

Magician was even hoping to see a unicorn on the way, but was disappointed as they passed through the field.

"It's so… So…" She gaped.

"Weird." Warrior answered for her.

"Anyway," Magic Gumnan Hiroto coughed, getting everyone's attention, "We're off to Egypt next, right?"

"That's right!" Pao grinned, "Off to the Thief King's palace to kick his butt into next week. Somehow."

"Somehow?" Pokii blinked.

"Well, yeah. He's still got that freaky demon with him."

"Oh… Right."

The adventurers each shuddered at the thought of the white serpent.

Diabound.

It was this creature that may just be their true enemy.

The story of the barkeeper had told them that it was Diabound who corrupted the evil Thief King.

Obviously in the real world, it was a different story.

Either way, without doubt it would be Diabount that they were soon to face.

And it was Diabound who they must slay in order to defeat the Dark Game Masters.

"How are we ever going to do that…?" Beast Tamer slouched over with a long, heavy sigh.

Warrior whacked him upside the head, "How do you think? We're going to march over to that stupid monster and we're gonna chop off it's head, then it's arms, then every other stupid part of it's body!"

"Joey…" Magician mumbled.

"What? That thing's gotta go!"

Beast Tamer shook his head, "I guess the first place to go is Egypt. Then we'll make our way up to the palace and finish this game."

The rest of the heroes nodded, "Sounds like a plan!"

It didn't take too long for the heroes to find a teleportation square.

Soon they were back in the Egypt model, and traveling upward to the Palace of Kul Elna.

Though it was still a ways away, they were all feeling pretty fond of themselves.

And why shouldn't they?

It wasn't long until the battle with the great Thief king.

And they were going to win.

They had to win.

They just had to.

* * *

><p>"There's so much food here…" White Mage Bakura grinned, a little too greedily.<p>

The palace was so different from his own castle.

Well, of course it was.

The rooms were filled with treasure, and servants were everywhere carrying grapes and other foods.

Not to mention the two goblins, sitting down in the corner and taking turns complaining.

"I know, right?" Thief King Bakura lounged back in his throne, "Too bad the real world's not like this."

White Mage nodded, "Mhm. …Can I have that?" He ran over to a servant, pulling on her arm until she gave him a grape.

Thief King laughed and took a drink from his goblet, "I'm not sure I ever want this game to end."

White Mage went over to the thief, stuffing his mouth with grapes. "I'm having fun, too."

"I can see that."

"What?"

"Nothinn'." Thief King rolled his eyes before stealing a grape from the mage.

"H-Hey!" White Mage hissed, "That's _my _grape. Gimmie!"

"Nah. Mine now."

"Gimmie, gimmie, gimmie now!" The mage plopped the rest of the grapes into his mouth and went on with hopping into the air, grabbing for the fruit.

Thief King cackled as he held the grape in the air, out of the mage's reach, and finally dropped it into his mouth.

White Mage shrieked, stomping on his feet. "No fair, no fair, no fair!"

With the mage making a fuss, the servants whispered to each other.

"I didn't know the White King was such a brat."

"That hurt my ears!"

"Somebody throw that kid out the window."

"How old is he, anyway?"

"I think he's kinda cute…"

"Whatever, don't know, don't care. Somebody get a hammer!"

And then there was the Thief King, having the time of his life.

* * *

><p>Ryou looked over to the palace model. "I wonder if White Mage and Akefia are having fun…"<p>

"I'm sure the thief is having a _blast _with all those women slaves in there." Yami snickered.

"_Women slaves_?" Ryou made a face of disgust, "I'm sure I didn't make those."

"Well, don't look at me."

The Pharaoh, Yami Yugi, wasn't paying too much attention to the two Dark Game Masters.

He was watching his own pawns.

How was he going to stop Yami's cheating?

It was the dice, obviously.

But just how was he going to get them?

It wasn't as if Yami would leave them alone any time soon.

The Pharaoh wouldn't have any chance to take them…

And even if Yami were to leave the room for even a second, he would leave Ryou in charge of the dice.

Ryou…

Oh, why did Ryou have to side with Yami this time?

He was usually such a nice boy who would do everything in his power to make things right again.

If only.

The game would be so much easier to win if only Ryou wasn't siding with his Yami.

The Pharaoh grumbled in annoyance, repeating the thought in his head.

"If only…" He said, softly as he leaned on his elbows.

"If only _what_, Pharaoh?" Yami snickered.

The Pharaoh looked over to his fellow darkness, "If only… If only you could learn to play fairly."

Yami narrowed his eyes, "You know, even if you were to stop my dice, I still have other ways."

"Other ways?"

"Yes. " Yami smirked "…But that's for me to know and you to find out."

The Pharaoh stiffened, and Ryou giggled.

"Yami knows some things about this game that even I don't know." He grinned, proudly.

"That's right, Landlord."

The Pharaoh watched them, now a little confused, as Ryou relaxed his head against his Yami's shoulder.

"Ryou." He tapped the table, loudly, catching the host's attention.

"Mm?" Ryou blinked.

"The percentage of monsters, please."

"Oh… Yes, of course."

* * *

><p>The appearance rate of monsters was much higher in Egypt than in Monsley Kingdom.<p>

It seemed the heroes couldn't get away with even a mile without battle.

By the time they traveled about halfway up the model, they were each around level twelve.

Even the Pharaoh had to admit that he was starting to get a little tired…

Though Ryou was just getting warmed up.

"Commanding hands!" Beast Tamer cast his brainwashing spell over a little Jackal creature, ending their most recent battle.

The Jackal, Paffii, ran over to the adventurers, full of energy, "I shall follow my new Master wherever he goes!"

Pokii and Pao giggled and greeted their new friend.

And Paffii was as thrilled as ever.

After all, he was a monster who loved adventure.

"How exciting!" Magician clapped.

"Mhm!" Beast Tamer grinned.

Warrior yawned, putting an arm around Magic Gunman, "Is it just me, or do we have way too many party members now?"

Magic Gunman shrugged, "Whatever, I guess. The more, the better."

They would need as much help as they could get, if they wanted to defeat the White Demon and Thief King.

* * *

><p>"Heh, add another monster to my member list." The Pharaoh smirked.<p>

"Right, then." Ryou nodded and typed in the updates.

Yami watched the laptop screen, then put his focus onto the Pharaoh, "I bet you just can't wait to see what we have in store for you next, isn't that right, Pharaoh?"

"True, I can't wait to see your next pathetic attempt to scare me."

Yami scowled, with hateful eyes.

Ryou bit his cheek.

He couldn't hide his dislike for the Pharaoh if he wanted to.

Even though Ryou wasn't someone who had a lot of hate in his heart, he wouldn't have dared to deny his newly found dislike for his friend's yami.

Especially since it was a yami who was even cockier than his own.

"Yami Yugi…" He mumbled.

Though the Pharaoh wasn't paying any attention at all to him.

* * *

><p>The game world's sun blazed viciously, nearly melting the heroes' clay bodies.<p>

The sand towered over them in dunes.

If they were to look up, they'd see long, claw-like mountains and the dark, multicolored sky above them.

The adventurers were just about to collapse from the heat, along with low health, when they saw a large cave coming from the bottom of a cliff.

"Look!" Magic Gunman pointed over to it, and the rest of the party gasped in sudden excitement.

Once they made their way inside the cave, a more eerie feeling came upon them…

The cave was dark, and hollow.

Their every word echoed into the deep tunnels going further down.

As the three monsters got a fire going, the heroes sat around in a circle, talking and getting up to full health.

"I'm so tired…" Warrior complained.

"We really don't have time for too long of brakes, Joey." Beast Tamer exclaimed, "We have to get to the palace so we can defeat the Thief King!"

"Yeah." Magician sighed, "I just wonder what's going on in the real world…"

Magic Gunman slammed his fist onto the ground beside him, "What's with Ryou, anyway?"

"Who's Ryou?" Warrior blinked.

"The good Bakura!"

"Oh… Right. And pass me that potion, Tea."

"Sure." Magician reached over, putting a large potion in front of the warrior, "And what about Bakura?"

"You know… Never mind, whatever." Magic Gunman rolled his eyes.

* * *

><p>Sometimes he thought he was the only person who actually paid attention to his friends.<p>

Other than Beast Tamer, of course.

Beast Tamer cared deeply for all of his friends.

Even Ryou.

In fact, Beast Tamer had even wanted to be good friends with the tombkeeper, Marik, who had caused them trouble in the Battle City competition.

And if Marik had only stayed a little longer, they could have become good friends.

If it hadn't been for Beast Tamer none of them would have been friends.

It was Beast Tamer who had brought everyone together.

Beast Tamer, and the Pharaoh.

And then there was Ryou…

Magic Gunman made a heavy sigh, and laid back on the ground.

* * *

><p>Time in the game world isn't the same as time in the real world.<p>

Days and days could go past in the game world, seeming to be only minutes in the real world.

And as the heroes fell fast asleep around the fire, what was a full night to them was only a few seconds of quick rest to the Pharaoh.

Everyone else was still asleep when Pokii awoke with a wide yawn.

"Mmm… Good morning everybody." He rubbed his eye and grinned.

"Man, Pokii, I'm trying to sleep…" Pao grumbled.

"It's still early." Paffii winced.

"Hmph."

Pokii pouted as he got up.

It was a warm morning, and there wasn't a soul to be seen for miles.

He felt Pao slowly get up beside him.

The dragon shook his head and took a look around, "Whoa… When were we in a cave?"

Paffii smacked his head and giggled, "You dummy! We've been here all night."

"Oh."

Once the three monsters were fully awake, it didn't take long for them to grow bored.

Pao stormed around, back and fourth, "This is annoying… When's our Master going to wake up already?"

"Oh, I'm sure it won't be too long now." Pokii blinked, as Paffii rolled his eyes beside him.

"Sure, Pokii. Sure."

"I'm sure of it!"

As the two of them went onto arguing, Pao's interest was caught when he noticed something sparkle further into the cave.

"Whoa…" The little monster got on all fours, and crawled across the cold ground.

"…Pao?" Pokii looked over to him, curiously.

"Hey, I think I found something."

Pokii and Paffii exchanged glances.

"Something?"

"Yeah, over there." Pao pointed to the unknown and his companions went over to him.

"Let's check it out." Paffii smirked, and ran ahead.

"H-Hey, wait for me!" Pao chased after him.

Pokii sighed, "I have a bad feeling about this…"

And then he followed them deeper into the cave.

* * *

><p>"Hm?" The Pharaoh looked into the model of the cave.<p>

Ryou blinked, "Is something wrong?"

"Those monsters…" The Pharaoh winced, "Where are they going?"

Yami snickered, "Yes, Landlord, where are they going?"

"Oh!" Ryou giggled, knowing quite well what was going on.

"Ryou…" The Pharaoh's eyes narrowed, "Ryou, where are those monsters going? Tell me."

Ryou shook his head, playfully, "Nope, no spoilers! Just watch the show."

"Ryou Bakura, tell me this instant what my friends are getting themselves into!"

The host winked with a grin, and hugged his yami's arm.

The Pharaoh twitched as Yami gave him a smug look.

"As my Landlord said, you'll see soon enough…"

"Grrh..."

* * *

><p>As the three monsters went deeper and deeper into the cave, they discovered more of these shimmering items.<p>

"What exactly are they?" Paffii blinked as he looked around.

Pao licked his lips before picking up the fifth piece that he had picked up, "I dunno, but whatever it is, I like it."

"Let me see that." Pokii flew over to Pao, taking the piece from his hand and throwing it against the wall.

Pao gasped, his mouth falling comically to the ground. "Wha… Wha… What did you do that for…?"

The piece hit the wall with a bang that echoed all through the cave, then falling to the ground.

Pokii smiled, collecting the piece and showing it to his monster companions, "See? It's gold."

"Gold?" Pao and Paffii exclaimed in unison.

"No way, this cave is a gold mine!" Paffii grinned, "And it's all just sitting here, too."

"And that means…" He and Pao exchanged excited looks, "It's ours for the taking!"

"We'll be rich!" Pao cackled and the two greedy monsters raced on ahead.

"Hey, wait!" Pokii called, but followed after getting no response.

* * *

><p>"Uggh…" As Beast Tamer awoke, he slowly stretched his arms out in front of him.<p>

The rest of the party woke up at their own pace, yawning and stretching as most people do when they wake up.

"Good morning everyone." Beast Tamer smiled.

"Yeah, yeah." Warrior groaned, getting up.

Magician blinked, "Hey… Where's our monsters?"

She and Magic Gunman got up in a rush to look around.

"They're missing!" Magic Gunman said.

This sure frightened the Beast Tamer, "W-Where did they go?" He stuttered.

Warrior gave him a comforting pat on the shoulder, "Don't worry, Yug, we'll find them."

Beast Tamer nodded, "Let's get going."

* * *

><p>The trail of treasure seemed to be endless.<p>

Which was good for the monsters, who frolicked all the way, arms full of gold and other trinkets of value.

Well, maybe not Pokii, who was more concerned with simply catching up to the others.

"Hey, we should really turn back now!" Pokii said.

"No way!" Cried the overexcited Pao.

Pokii shook his head with a sigh.

Eventually, the cave became less narrow…

And they saw an opening, which lead to a large, chamber.

A chamber, with piles of gold all over the ground.

The three monsters stood there, gaping.

"This is…" Pokii blinked.

"Amazing!" Paffii jumped into the air.

"I've never seen so much money in my life!" Pao laughed, "All mine, all mine! Ahaha!"

He ran right in, leaping into a pile of coins.

"I wanna have some, too!" Paffii went right in after him.

As the other two monsters went swimming in money, Pokii took a moment, examining the cave.

He didn't see anything that could hurt them…

But that still didn't ease the rather dark feeling that this place was giving him.

And his feelings had never disappointed him before.

After all, at that very second, there was a dark creature watching them from the shadows…

* * *

><p>The Pharaoh hated feeling so defenseless.<p>

He had a horrid feeling in the pit of his stomach, telling him that something terrible was going to happen.

He had to warn Yugi.

"_Yugi!_" He called over the mind-link.

When there wasn't an answer, he tried again. "_Yugi! Yugi, please answer me. You need to get out of there now._"

Again, no answer.

Now the Pharaoh was beginning to panic.

"_Yugi! Get out of there! Get out of there right now! Just… Forget the monsters! Please. You **need** to get out of there!_"

The Pharaoh fell back into his seat with a cold face.

Why couldn't Yugi hear him?

There was something in the cave, he finally decided.

And that "something " had robbed him of his ability to use the mind-link.

Yami watched the Pharaoh from his seat.

He could feel the Pharaoh's fear, and he was loving every second of it.

"Is something wrong, Pharaoh?" He asked, in a teasing voice, and Ryou giggled beside him.

"You…" The Pharaoh glared over to him and Ryou, "What on Earth have you unleashed onto them?"

Yami smirked, evilly, "Oh, but you're the oh-so great Pharaoh… Surely you know just as much as I do about the Devourer."

At that name, the Pharaoh's eyes went wide open in fear.

He knew the Devourer almost too well.

"Ha, why there isn't an Egyptian creature more perfect to use!" Yami gave a wicked laugh.

"Y-You monster!" The Pharaoh exclaimed, banging the table with his fists, "How _dare_ you go so low!"

"Please don't bang the table." Ryou said, boldly.

The Pharaoh blinked and stared at the host.

"That's better, thank-you."

"You wouldn't want to 'cause your dear friends more trouble by tipping the model over." Yami laughed.

"Hmph."

"They can still be saved." Ryou stated, catching the Pharaoh's attention.

"How? Tell me."

The host giggled, "Don't you know? The Devourer will eat the hearts of those who are guilty."

The Pharaoh raised an eyebrow, "You mean like you?"

Ryou became silent, and Yami spoke instead of him, "We won't be telling you anything else. If you really want to save your precious vessel and his friends, you'll just have to find out how on your own."

"…Very well."

* * *

><p>While Pao had been busy filling his arms with anything and everything he could carry, there had been one treasure, which outweighed the rest.<p>

One he simply just had to have.

Before him, sitting on a pedestal were golden scales.

They were obviously valuable, but Pao was about to find out how important they really were…

"Pao?" Paffii blinked as he noticed the dragon get up. "…Uh, Pao? You can hear me, right? Pao?"

And Pao went right past him without even looking at him.

Pokii winced.

Something really wasn't right.

"Pao!" He chased his dragon companion.

He caught onto Pao's tail, and pulled it back in an attempt to stop him in his tracks.

However, with one swing of the tail, Pokii was thrown back, landing right on top of Paffii.

"Smooth." Paffii scoffed, while trying to free himself from Pokii's weight.

"Sorry." Pokii quickly said as he got off, then putting his attention back onto Pao.

Pao was now right in front of the scale, with a look on his face that a person could only recognize as greed.

"Pao, _no_! Get away from there!" Pokii screamed.

His efforts were put all in vain as Pao grinned and took the scale from pedestal.

He cackled loud enough for everyone to hear.

Giggling madly, Pao spun around, hugging the scales, "Yeah, mine, alllll mine! Ahaha, I'm rich. Rich!"

Pokii gasped as a shadow began to form under the pedestal.

"Pao, put that back right now!"

"Why?" Pao spat at the other monsters, "You just want it for yourself, don't you!"

"No, that's not it…"

"Then what? You don't want me to be rich? But think of all the apples we can eat!"

"No, that's _really_ not it!"

"What are you talking about, then?"

"U-Uh, Pao?" Paffii stuttered, pointing a paw to the now-growing shadow, "You might wanna look behind you…"

"What?" Pao stopped and slowly turned around…

Where he was then face-to-face with the demon.

* * *

><p>The heroes made a mad dash through the cave.<p>

It felt like they had been running for hours, though it had only been about ten minutes.

"Keep going!" Magician cried, "I can hear something."

"Yeah, I think we've found them!" Magic Gunman nodded.

Beast Tamer hadn't stopped running for even a second.

He just had to know if his friends were okay or not…

That's when they heard a scream.

* * *

><p>Three terrified monsters huddled together in the center of the chamber.<p>

Why the center?

It was the only part of the chamber they could see.

Almost within seconds, the entire chamber had been consumed by darkness…

And the only thing they could see were those eerie, glowing eyes staring right into their souls.

The demon was the hybrid with a crocodile's head, a lion's forearms and mane, with a hippo's hindlegs.

None other than the demon of Egypt religion, the Devourer…

None of than Ammit, herself.

"Now look what you've done…" Paffii hissed.

"What are we going to do?" Pokii shivered in fear.

"Only one thing to do…" Pao said after a moment of getting his thoughts together of what just happened, "**HELPPP!**"

* * *

><p>It was at that moment when the heroes made it.<p>

"It's so dark here!" Magician gasped.

Beast Tamer called out into the darkness, "Pokii! Pao! Paffii! Are you there?"

"Master!" The monsters screamed, "Master, help us out!"

"They're here!" Beast Tamer giggled, moving forward to greet his friends.

Until he heard the demon growl…

"Yugi, wait!" Warrior pulled the Beast Tamer back, "Something or someone's there…"

"What is it?" Magician squinted her eyes, in an attempt to see through the dark.

A loud, spine-chilling howl was let out, making the heroes jump in fear.

"What the heck?"

"Uh oh, _the monsters_!"

Beast Tamer made a mad dash into the darkness, "I'm coming!"

"Yugi, be careful!" Magician cried, and ran after him, soon followed by the rest of the party.

* * *

><p>In his run, Beast Tamer slid onto his knees, and embraced the frightened monsters. "Are you okay? What happened?"<p>

"Master," Pao whimpered, "Behind you…"

"Huh?"

The monsters pulled him back as Ammit leaped over them.

"?"

Now looking right at the demon, the Beast Tamer jumped right to his feet, ready for battle.

Though while he was expecting Ammit to go for the kill, instead she gave out a howl and sat down.

Beast Tamer blinked and relaxed, "I read about you in my Grandpa's book of Egyptian history."

Ammit made a devilish grin in response.

"Well then," Pao got up, still holding onto the scales, "Now that we all somehow know each other, time to go!"

Before he could go anywhere, Ammit hissed and slammed a paw onto his tail.

"YIEE!" Pao jumped up into the air, dropping the scales, "My treasuree!"

"I got it!" Beast Tamer caught the scales in midair, then setting it down on the ground.

"You still had that?" Pokii slapped his forehead.

"I'd keep it if I were him." Paffi smirked.

"You're so greedy, both of you!"

Beast Tamer sighed as the monsters began to bicker, "This… Belongs to you, doesn't it."

Ammit lowered her head in a nod, then picking up the top of the scales in her jaw and placing it down in front of her.

And then a serious, angry look came over her.

"Hey, um… You're gonna let me go now, right?" Pao laughed, nervously.

Ammit stepped off of him, and the dragon was thrown into the air by an invisible force.

"WHAAH!"

"Pao!"

A golden cage appeared out of nowhere, trapping the captive monster inside.

"Let me out! Let me out!"

The darkness thickened and soon Beast Tamer couldn't even see the two monsters beside him.

"Yugi!" Beast Tamer could hear his friends calling, "Yugi, where are you? Yugi! Yugi!"

However, all he could see was the golden cage, the golden scales, and the golden, glowing eyes of Ammit.

* * *

><p>"What is this?" The Pharaoh twitched as he watched the events.<p>

Ryou pointed a finger into the air, "Well, I thought this would be more interesting than another battle."

"This isn't a battle?"

"Well," The host rubbed the back of his head, nervously, "You couldn't really expect me to have them fight Ammit. How would that be fair?"

The Pharaoh rolled his eyes, "And when has any of this been fair?"

Ryou frowned, "Stop acting like that."

"Pardon?"

"I said stop acting like that. …Please." Ryou bit his lip, "It's not as if you're perfect."

Yami smirked, watching as a confused look came over the Pharaoh.

It was confusion, which turned to a sudden burst of frustration.

The Pharaoh snarled in anger, "Ryou Bakura, I don't care what that cursed tombraider has been telling you. I don't care! This is all just some sick joke. All of this!"

"A joke…?" Ryou stared at him.

Even without his body, he could feel himself starting to shake.

Not from anger, or even fear.

He wasn't sure what to think.

If he wasn't even sure what he should be thinking, how could he know why he was shaking?

"Yes." The Pharaoh said, firmly, "Now. The game."

Ryou looked down at his feet, "Y-Yes, of course. I'm sorry about that."

Yami groaned and said through the mind-link, "_Landlord, don't let the fool get to you. Let's just continue with the game._"

"Mm?" Ryou blinked, "_Oh… Alright, Yami._"

* * *

><p>The scales floated up above Ammit, then a feather appeared out of nowhere, on one scale, with a heart appearing on the other.<p>

"What the?" Beast Tamer backed away, "You're going to… Test us?"

Ammit chuckled, licking her lips.

Behind the Beast Tamer, a board appeared with the word; "Truth".

"Truth?" He wondered, "So… This is a game of truth. I see!"

"Let me explain the rules." Ammit spoke for the first time.

"Hey, I didn't know you could talk!" Pao laughed from his cage.

"_Silence!_" Ammit snapped at him, then sitting back down, "The rules are simple, and for as long as you follow them, this mini-game should go by quickly."

"And you're going to judge us based on our Master's answers?" Paffi and Pokii exchanged glances.

"Correct."

"Why weren't you saying anything before?"

"Shut up!"

Beast Tamer grinned, "You're going to ask me questions, and I have to answer every one with the complete truth. And when I answer them all truthfully, you'll let Pao go."

Ammit winced, "Yes. Four questions. You have played this before?"

"Me and my Yami have played every game we can get out hands on." The shorter pawn giggled, "Ask away!"

"Fine. Though you should know that if one question is answered with a lie, or even the half-truth… _None of you shall make it out of here alive._" Ammit cackled under her breath, "Game start."

* * *

><p>"I'm beginning to understand what I must do…" The Pharaoh bowed his head in thought.<p>

"The rules were just explained, how is it you're only _just _beginning to understand?" Yami retorted.

"Only, the thing is…" Ryou mumbled.

"What, Ryou Bakura?"

"The thing is…" The host yawned, "I'm afraid we don't have much of a part in this. It isn't a battle, so the dice isn't going to be much use, and you're unable to use your mind-link."

The Pharaoh glared at the boy, "How did you know that my mind-link is useless?"

"Th-That's how I made the cave… It's suppose to do that."

"Hmph."

Ryou couldn't hold back another yawn.

Although such a thing didn't make sense, seeing how he had no body.

It was getting so late at night…

Wouldn't it be something if the final boss took place at exactly midnight?

Nothing like a battle during the Witching Hour.

He laughed quietly to himself, before continuing to speak, with some dislike in his voice, "You'll just have to believe in Yugi, right?"

"…Yes. Yugi will pull through if I trust him." The Pharaoh's eyes widened in too-obvious-to-be-true realization.

Ryou sighed and he could just hear Yami burst into hysterics at the back of his mind, rather than in reality.

"_Yamiii, you're making me think I've gone mad!_" He whined over the mind-link, while cracking a smile.

"_Oh, but you must be mad! You're hosting me, are you not?_"

Ryou let out a light-hearted laugh, "_Oh, so because we share the same body, I should be as psychotic as you?_"

"_Yes, my dear Landlord, that's exactly what I'm saying!_" Yami was now laughing with his host in reality.

The Pharaoh, who sat all the way on the other side of the table, rolled his eyes as he watched the two Dark Game Masters laughing their heads off, "There's always laughter of some kind in this apartment, isn't there?"

* * *

><p>"The first question…" Ammit began, "Tell me, Beast Tamer Yuugi, or shall I say Yugi Muto?"<p>

"Erm, yes?"

"How did you come across the Millennium Puzzle?" Was the first question.

It wasn't exactly a hard question…

Seeing how it was only four questions, Beast Tamer had been expecting them to be difficult.

Perhaps they were just personal.

"It was a long time ago… I think I was about six years old when I found it." Beast Tamer kicked the ground, meekly, "I was looking around in the storage of my Grandpa's game shop. I found it there, and for eight years I tried to solve it."

He took a deep breath and sighed.

Hard to believe he was out of breath already.

The heart and feather remained balanced on the scales.

"I see. Next question." Ammit nodded in approval.

"Whoo! Way to go, Master, one question down!" Pao jumped up in his cage.

Pokii gave a comforting pull on Beast Tamer's cape, "Only three more to go."

"Right, thanks guys."

"No problemo! If we can't cheer ya on, then what good are we?" Paffii relaxed on the ground, grinning.

Ammit waited for the heroes to stop talking, and continued, "The puzzle is able to grant the bearer's wish. Is that true?"

"Oh…" Beast Tamer became silent, "I-It… It is."

The Devourer smirked at the first sign of weakness in her prey.

The scales tilted slightly as the heart's weight increased.

"The next question: What, exactly, was it that you wished for?"

Beast Tamer couldn't answer that just yet.

He didn't know how to answer.

"…What's wrong, Master?" Pao blinked, "That's an easy question, hurry up and answer it so we can get out of here sooner!"

"I… I could have a hard time remembering…" Beast Tamer rubbed his arm, awkwardly.

Ammit wasn't fooled, "Mm? I have a hard time believing that. It would be in your best interest to tell the truth, Yugi Muto."

Beast Tamer looked around.

His friends were nowhere to be seen.

Not that he could see anything at all in the pitch-black darkness.

The one thing he could see, was the scales slowly going back into balance as he calmed down.

"Okay… Fine." He hesitated, but soon the answer spat out of his mouth, "I wished on the puzzle… For my friends. I wished for friends who would never betray me, or leave me when I need them most."

* * *

><p>Ryou blinked as he watched what was going on in the cave.<p>

That was what Yugi wished for?

It was similar to a wish that Ryou had once made.

A wish that had been granted by the ring…

Though not in the way that he had hoped.

Yami grinned, poking him in the neck, "Oh, but I think that wish paid in the long run. Don't you?"

Ryou giggled, "Oh yes, Yami!"

A thought crossed his mind.

Just a thought, but Ryou wasn't sure if it was a good or bad thing.

Did he become friends with Yugi because of the wish?

It was nice to think that Yugi would wish to be friends with someone like him…

But it was sad that Ryou's whole friendship with the other host revolved simply around the puzzle.

"Hmm… I wonder what his next answers will be." He continued looking into the model.

* * *

><p>"Aw, what a sweet wish." Ammit cooed, "Next question."<p>

"Okay." Beast Tamer mentally prepared himself for the worst.

"Alright 'hero'… You've grown to know a lot about Egypt and the items, correct?"

"Oh. Yeah, I think so."

Ammit was now beginning to feel a bit giddy, "Then tell me what created the seven Millennium Items."

What?

Beast Tamer did know that.

He had studied a bit on Egypt with his yami and grandpa, but never in his studies had he even come across of the items.

And the Pharaoh didn't know.

So how could Beast Tamer possible know?

Would it be lying if he said he simply didn't have an answer?

"…I don't know how the items were made." He answered, "Other than what I've found out on my own or what people have told me, I don't know anything."

The monsters gulped, awaiting the Devourer's response.

Ammit laughed.

It wasn't an evil laugh, or anything like that.

Just a laugh.

"That was well put for someone your size."

Although Beast Tamer was doing great so far, and only had one question left, he was nervous.

Even more nervous than when he first encountered Ammit. "Thanks?"

Yet another laugh, "I could tell you what created the items. If you like."

If Beast Tamer was a dog, his ears would have flew right up in curiosity.

Had he not always wondered what was really hanging around his neck at every second of the day?

* * *

><p>Ryou knew.<p>

Ryou knew perfectly well what the items were created with.

And so he sat at the edge of his chair, anticipating the look that would take over Yugi's face when he found out the terrifying truth.

Yami was feeling the same way.

They all were.

Even the Pharaoh watched the scene in wonder.

He wanted to know even more than Yugi.

And so the two yamis and the host stared down at the model, at the little pawn, waiting for him to say the answer they wanted him to say.

* * *

><p>"Will you tell me?"<p>

The Devourer made a low cackle, and pulled the Beast Tamer closer to her, speaking softly into his ear, "I'll tell you all you need to know."

Beast Tamer stiffened, as the monsters sat there, confused.

* * *

><p><em>And then Ammit told him everything.<em>

* * *

><p>Beast Tamer made a loud, choked gasped, his face horrified.<p>

And it was in that instant that the heart on the scales tipped over from weight and dropped.

"Master, the heart!" The monsters screeched.

But Beast Tamer stood there, staring at the dark ground, with eyes that would be empty if not for the fear.

The heart fell, and Ammit waited, with her jaws wide open, ready to catch her meal.

* * *

><p>Ryou was expecting a loud remark from the Pharaoh in an attempt to warn Yugi, but nothing came.<p>

Even as the pawn was at the point of death, not a single sound came from the Nameless Pharaoh.

Nothing.

Because when Ryou looked at him, the Pharaoh had even less of an expression than Yugi.

The only thing that could be seen on him was pure terror.

In a way, Ryou now felt sorry for the Pharaoh.

After all, he could only imagine what the other yami was feeling.

Oh well.

That's what he gets.

* * *

><p>The heart fell.<p>

The heart fell, and Ammit was ready to swallow it whole.

However, she'd have to wait just a little longer.

Hardly before the heart got anywhere, two small claws shot out from the cage's bars, grabbing hold of the beating organ.

It was caught by none other than Pao.

"Don't worry, Master!" The monster would have gotten into some kind of 'hero pose', if he wasn't holding a live heart in his hands, "…Though by the looks of it, you're worried about something else. Gee, um… PAY ATTENTION TO ME!"

"Wretch of a monster!" Ammit hissed, "Give me that!"

"Nu uh, no way!" Pao stuck his tongue out, playfully, "…Hey, so this is what a heart feels like. All squishy. I like it!"

"Careful Pao, that represents Master's heart!" Pokii shook his fist, and Paffii laughed.

While the weight of the heart was gone, the scales went back into balance.

"Maybe I shouldn't put this back yet…" Pao sent a glance to Beast Tamer, who wasn't in the best condition.

"Good idea." Pokii jabbed Paffii in the face.

"Ow, uh, right. And we'll try to get Master back to his senses."

Ammit pouted quietly, sitting down to watch the monsters, "Well, gotta give them a chance. Foolish jerks."

As Paffii pulled at Beast Tamer's cape, Pokii flew up and pulled his hair.

"Master," They both cried in unison, "Master, you have to pull yourself together!"

"I'm sorry guys…" Beast Tamer managed to say, "It's just that I didn't… Know. Or think."

Pokii sighed.

"You know, it's not something you can help." Paffii wouldn't have bothered with trying to make his master feel better, but it seemed pointless to him to get so worked up over something that happened three thousand years ago.

"Paffii's right!" Pokii urged on, "What happened then, happened then. What's happening now, is happening now!"

"Yeah, so focus on what's happening now!" Pao raged from his cage, "Because this heart is heavy."

"But I feel so bad for wearing the puzzle! I mean, I wore that thing for maybe two years… And I didn't know." Beast Tamer was finally talking a little more.

Pokii patted his shoulders, comfortingly, "It doesn't matter now. Besides, Ammit could have been trying to trick you so the heart would fall! Which it did."

Ammit snickered.

_Fools can't handel the truth._ She thought, amused.

Beast Tamer made a quick gasp, "The heart! Is it okay?"

"Got it right here." Pao panted.

"Okay, thanks."

Now Beast Tamer was his old self again.

The monsters cheered in their heads, though they knew it wasn't over yet.

"Come on Master." Pokii smiled, "You got this question right. Now there's only one more… And I bet it'll be harder than the rest of them."

"I'll be disappointed if it isn't." Paffii scoffed.

"Go get back up, proud and strong, 'cause you can do it, Master!"

And Beast Tamer did so.

There's nothing like a prep speech from three small monsters.

He felt strong again.

At least, strong enough to answer one more question and then get the heck out of there.

Now he was ready for anything.

And he hoped that his yami, was too…

* * *

><p>The Pharaoh was listening to the whole thing.<p>

He listened to everything that the monsters said.

A grin broke on his face, a big change from the look that he had for what felt like years.

Ryou and Yami both stared at the odd, friendship-obsessed-for-all-intensive-purposes Pharaoh.

"Poor Yugi." Was the first thing that popped out of Ryou's mouth, making Yami laugh.

* * *

><p>"Hey, the heart is getting lighter!" Pao declared.<p>

"Yeah, that's nice, just put it back now." Paffii rolled his eyes.

"Right."

And then Pao carefully, reached out of the cage, placing the heart back onto the scales.

Ammit yawned and got back to her feet, "Alright, last question."

"Ask away, I'm ready for anything!" Beast Tamer called out.

"Yeah, good-bye cage! Even if it is made out of gold." Pao danced around on the spot, and the other two monsters clapped.

Ammit nodded, "Fine. I think this question will put a strain on your brain."

Paffii burst into laughter, "Strain, brain… It rhymes! HA!"

"Whatever. The last question is…"

Beast Tamer took a deep breath.

"You've been blessed with friends who are always with you, and a yami who cares for you." Ammit was proud to have a question that would make the hero break, "But we all know that it's too good to last."

"…What do you mean?"

"Sure you've been paying attention to your adventure. And not just your adventure in this world."

Beast Tamer shifted uncomfortably, and looked at Pokii for the slightest guidance.

"Just answer from the bottom of your heart." Pokii nodded.

"And be quick about it!" Pao remarked.

"Shut it, sinner, you're in a cage for a reason." Ammit snapped at the dragon, and turned back to Beast Tamer. "Now, one day you _will_have to choose between them."

"What?"

"That's right. Now, if the choice was all yours, and you could only choose one…" The last question: "Would you keep your friends, who are strong and loyal, or the spirit who had been there for you, maybe even before you solved the puzzle?"

* * *

><p>"What a question…" The Pharaoh watched inside the cave.<p>

He knew perfectly well that he wouldn't be with Yugi forever.

At the end of his quest for knowlage, he would have to leave his host forever.

He knew it.

And he was sure that Yugi knew it, too.

But if Yugi had the chance to make him stay…

He would take it.

The Pharaoh knew Yugi enough to be sure of that.

"What kind of question is this for the Devourer to ask?" He said under his breath.

"I'd like to know the answer." Ryou said.

"And soon you shall." Yami grinned.

* * *

><p>"Well? What is your answer?" Ammit lounged, proudly.<p>

"Hmm… Well..."

"We don't have all day, you know. Look into your heart, decide, and don't lie."

Beast Tamer winced, but he knew he had to decide.

Somehow.

He had known from the beginning that one day he would have to say good-bye to the Pharaoh.

But if he had the chance, would he let the Pharaoh leave?

Would he let his other self go into the afterlife?

Would he take away his other self's happiness just to keep himself happy?

Or would he stay with his friends, who the Pharaoh granted to him, who he fought hard to keep?

If the Pharaoh were ever to leave him, he would still have his friends.

There wouldn't be any more adventures, but he would have his friends.

They would be like any group of friends.

And with the Pharaoh gone, his friends would always comfort him.

Maybe even Ryou, though he got the feeling he'd be the one comforting Ryou if their yamis were to disappear.

He got the feeling, that even with his friends to comfort him, he would always feel empty inside without the Pharaoh…

"I-I've decided." Beast Tamer meekly declaired.

"Good." Ammit got up from lying down, "And what is your answer? Who would you keep?"

"I'd keep…" He had to think for another second before the answer popped out, "My friends. I'd my friends. They've always been there for me, and they always will be there for me."

* * *

><p>The Pharaoh sat back in his seat, "His friends… He would keep his friends if he had the chance."<p>

Ryou shook his head, "No, he's lying."

"…What?"

* * *

><p>Ammit made a low laugh, "That was a lie, wasn't it?"<p>

"H-Huh?" Beast Tamer blinked, "I didn't lie! I really would keep my friends. The Pharaoh needs to complete the prophecy. He needs to go to the afterlife."

"Yes, but would you let him?" Ammit went onto circling around him, "I think not."

"I would!" Beast Tamer cried, "Even if I were to suffer… I would suffer for the Pharaoh."

However, Ammit wasn't fooled. "You're almost worse than your little reptile who decided to steal from me."

The monsters watched as the scales began to tip over once more.

"And so you will pay for all of your crimes with your life."

Ammit slid under the scales, looking up above and just waiting for the heart to become heavy enough to drop.

Oh how she looked forward to it.

Any second now she would be able to rip the organ into pieces and devour them in only one snap of the jaw.

Any time now…

However, now that she was really looking at the scales…

The heart wasn't becoming heavier.

It was leaning to the side of the feather.

As if that feather had grown to the weight of a true sinner's heart.

"What's going on?" She scowled, "You're guilty and your heart belongs to me now! So why aren't the scales doing what they're suppose to do?"

"I'm sorry." She heard the accused say.

Beast Tamer went right up to the Egyptian demon, and kneeled down, "I'm really sorry. I guess even I have to lie to myself from time to time. I know my heart isn't pure and I can't tell the truth all the time…"

Ammit growled, looking down at the pawn.

She had never felt this embarrised before.

"I know better than to take away the Pharaoh's afterlife… But I would regret not doing it." Beast Tamer wrapped his arms around the demon, "I know I can always count on my friends, but they'll never be able to replace my other half."

* * *

><p>Ryou blinked, tilting his head to the side as he listened to Yugi, "I suppose that makes sense."<p>

"I don't see how." Yami lounged back.

Ryou shook his head with a giggle, "Well, no one could ever replace you, Yami."

Yami grinned with a wink.

* * *

><p>Beast Tamer let go on the Devourer and stood back over with his monsters.<p>

"Yeah, so you won't be getting Master's heart!" Pao cackled.

Ammit gave them a cheaky grin, "But I'm afraid you're still not getting out of here."

"What?"

"You see… You didn't answer all the questions correctly."

Ammit stalked slowly towards the Beast Tamer, fangs out for all to see.

"Master!" Pokii flew inbetween them.

"You'll have to get through us first!" Paffii snarled, leaping into the action.

"And I'm protecting you in spirit!" Pao called from his cage.

Ammit didn't bother to stop because of the small monsters, "Get out of my way, fools."

"Never!" The monsters cried together, "We'll always protect Master!"

Beast Tamer smiled, "Thanks, guys…"

The monsters winked back to him.

"I said _get out of my way_!" Ammit screamed, and raised a claw to attack them.

She didn't get far, though.

As soon as she came into contact with them, Ammit went flying back with a loud whimper.

She shook her head violently and struck again.

The scales glowed and in a flash Ammit was thrown to the side.

"What's going on?"

"Stupid scales…" Ammit muttered, "I'll just take the heart!"

She took a leap to tackle the scales.

Touching them, her entire form was shocked and she fell.

And so she just laid there.

* * *

><p>Ryou blinked.<p>

What just happened?

Yugi didn't answer the last question, so why wasn't Ammit able to harm him?

"_Do you know what happened?_" He deided to ask over his mind-link.

"_It failed. That's all there is to know._" Yami answered with a scowl.

"_Oh…_" Ryou looked to the Pharaoh, who was trying to make sense of the events, as well. "_Well… I think it was a success._"

"_How do you figure that, Landlord?_"

Ryou giggled, "_At least now Yugi knows. He knows about the items… And he knows why he's going to fall in the end._"

Yami took a second to think, and then laughed darkly, "_Yes, that is good. Very good! Ahaha!_"

Ryou smiled.

He was looking forward to winning the game.

He and Yami both.

* * *

><p>Beast Tamer sat down beside the demon, "I'm sorry that I didn't get it right, but I have to save my friend. Here…"<p>

He got out a potion from his bad and Ammit reluctantly let him pour it into her mouth.

"Is that better?"

"Hmph." Ammit slowly got up, glaring at the pawn.

The darkness around them slowly began to clear out, and soon they were able to see again.

"You know… I've decided I don't care." Ammit decided it simply wasn't worth all the trouble.

After all, Beast Tamer didn't seem to be such a bad guy…

If she had been a human girl, she may have even loved a boy like him.

"You… Don't care?" Beast Tamer blinked.

"Yes. Don't care. It seems I can't do much more to you, anyway." Ammit grumbled.

"Well… Thanks. I learned a lot today."

"You'd better have."

Beast Tamer giggled, petting Ammit's mane. "You know, you're not as scary as books make you."

"Tch."

"Now I can get out?" Pao blinked.

The golden cage dropped to the ground with a crash.

"I DIDN'T MEAN IT LIKE THAT. OWW."

"I still got you back for trying to steal from me." Ammit snickered.

"Why you-!"

Pokii and Paffii laughed as they pulled Pao out from the cage.

* * *

><p>"Yugi?"<p>

"Huh?" Beast Tamer was then tackled in a surprise embrace.

"Yugi!" Magician sounded out of breath.

"You had us worried, man." Warrior crossed his arms.

"Yeah! What the heck happened?" Magic Gunman panted.

"Umm… I'll tell you later."

Beast Tamer looked back, only to be surprised that Ammit and the scales were nowhere to be seen.

"…Let's just get out of here."

"Couldn't have said it better myself!" Pao grabbed his compaion's hands and zoomed off.

The heroes then laughed and ran after them.

After that, they didn't spend one more second in the cave.

* * *

><p>"<em>Yugi?<em>"

"_Pharaoh!_" Yugi exclaimed after hearing his name over the mind-link, "_Pharaoh, so much happened in there! So much-_"

"_I know. Although I wasn't able to contact you, I saw and heard everything._"

"_Oh…_" Beast Tamer sighed, "_Well, I'm sorry about… You know. I know that we can't always…_"

"_Yugi, enough._"

"_B-But Pharaoh!_"

"_It's alright. Really, it is._"

"_…_"

"_Aibo… I'm glad to know that you would have me stay if you had the choice._"

"_You are?_"

"_Yes. But that won't happen for a long time. Alright? Right now we just have to focus on getting to the Thief King._"

"_Right, and then we'll win this!_"

"_Yes._"

* * *

><p>There was always some kind of party going on in the Thief King's palace.<p>

Thief King sat on the edge of his throne, drinking wine and shouting comments to every person who walked past.

"Oh yeah, you should've seen his face. And I thought warriors were supposed to be tough! Ahahaha!"

White Mage, who was feeling rather tipsy after only a few sips of wine, giggled madly, "I remember that! I remember that! …I don't remember that being funny, but I remember that!"

"Yeahh. So then we blanked his head!" The Thief King told a servent who was passing by with a tray of fruit.

White Mage ran over to her, meaning to steal another grape, but tripped in the process of getting up. "Owwww… I wanted that grape…"

"Ahaha!" Thief King burst into ragrful laughter, "Wow Mage, you look fun like that!"

"Wha? What does that mean, Akefia?"

"I dunno." Thief King lifted up the wine bottle to pour himself another glass, but found there wasn't any left and threw the bottle at the wall.

White Mage giggled, still struggleing to get back up, "That made a really loud sound that hurt my ears, but I'm going to laugh anyway!"

"Dang it, I'm out of wine!"

"Maybe that's because you threw the bottle?"

"Sh-Shuddap."

"Akefia, wheee!"

"What?"

"My name is Mage!"

"I want more wine."

"I'll get wine for you!" White Mage said as one of the servants helped him up.

"Great, I knew I liked ya for a reason!"

"What reason?"

"I dunno. Get me wine."

"Okay!"

And then White Mage stumbled off to speak to the two goblins, "Hiya!"

"Oh… It's him." The first goblin groaned.

"When is it ever not him?"

"When it's the _other _him."

"Sometimes they're both here."

"Uggh…"

White Mage giggled, "You guys are funny! Do you know where the wine cellar is?"

"Yeah. Around the corner, down the stairs, through the hall, down the other stairs…" The first goblin began listing all the instructions.

"Over there." The second goblin simply pointed.

"Oh, okay, thank-you!" White Mage curtsied and went on his merry way.

"Bah, I hate that guy." Complained the first goblin.

"I want more wine." Complained the other.

* * *

><p>After finally making it to the wine cellar, the mage went looking around for the first wine he could think of.<p>

He couldn't think of a wine, so he went with normal.

"Normal… Normal… Where's normal?" He went through piles and piles of wine vessels.

He smiled when he saw plain old wine at the top of a pile.

"I found normal!"

He crawled over to the pile, trying to reach for the bottle but found that he couldn't.

"Grrrh, I want that! My name is Mage and I want that!"

He only noticed the small nose peaking out from beside the bottle, and soon the bottle went tumbling and it hit the poor mage in the head.

White Mage fell over and completely blacked out.

The creature that the nose belonged to was revieled to be none other than a giant rat.

The rat jumped down, poked the mage in the face to make sure that he was out cold, and then pushed the floorboard open.

And soon other tiny rats came out from the floor.

"That looks like some good wine." One of them stated, only to fall over and be walked on all over.

With strength that only an NPC could have, they rats picked up the mage, and pushed him into the palac sewers from the floorboard.

"So why are we kidnapping this kid?"

"The same reason we kidnap anybody, for attention."

And so when White Mage woke up much later, with a splitting headache, only to realize that he was being carried by a bunch of rats, some who he trusted more than others…

The first thing that came to mind was, "_Why is it always me?_"


	14. The Misadventures Of Yami's Pawns

And so when White Mage woke up much later, with a splitting headache, only to realize that he was being carried by a bunch of rats, some who he trusted more than others…

The first thing that came to mind was, "_Why is it always me?_"

* * *

><p>"Man, what a hangover!" Thief King Bakura laughed, dryly, the next morning.<p>

Naturally, he had a headache.

That was after… How many drinks?

He forgot a long time ago.

He picked an apple up from the floor, wiped off some of the dirt, then bit in. "I swear, this has the be the best fruit in this whole dang game. Next to grapes."

The King of Thieves then sat back in his throne, eating away at the red fruit.

"I'm gonna be so bored today if nothing exciting happens…" He made a loud yawn, "Maybe I'll go on a raid. Steal some stuff. Whadoya think, Mage?"

He blinked when there wasn't a response, "…Erm, Mage?"

"I can't believe this guy. He can't even remember sending someone to get wine." The first goblin complained.

Thief King slapped his forehead with a laugh, "Oh right, so that's what I did!"

He got up from his throne and stretched his arms out, "Well, better go see what's going on down there! Maybe he's knocked out. Heh, heh."

He took one last, big bite out of the apple and then threw it on the floor on the way out.

"I hate this job." The second goblin complained as he went to pick the abused fruit up.

"Should have listened to Mother and become a jester." The first goblin complained with a groan.

"Ahaha!" Thief King laughed as he walked on by the goblins and out into the hall, "Man I love those goblins. Hilarious!"

* * *

><p>Thief King scratched his head, confused, when he got to the wine cellar.<p>

There wasn't a sign of the mage anywhere.

"Where'd he go, then?"

Akefia was just about ready to turn and look somewhere else, when he noticed a piece of cloth by a broken wine bottle.

"What's that suppose to be?" He went over and picked it up.

There was a message, though not very well written.

It took about five minutes for Thief King to get an idea of what it was trying to say.

And it wasn't even a very good idea.

"Okay, so: There's a Yeti, living in the mountains… And it wants revenge for the time some guy stole its ice cream machine." He thought back to something he saw on TV, "…Why is there a Yeti in Egypt?"

There was then he kicked an older rug, pushing it over and reveling a secret trap door.

Thief King grinned, "Well, I think I might have an idea where my mage went."

He pulled the trap door open, and slipped through to see where it would lead.

* * *

><p>As it turned out, it was the sewers.<p>

"…Seriously?" Thief King blinked, annoyed.

He wasn't exactly fond of places like this.

Of course, he had survived in worse places and decided to put up with the sewers until he knew what was going on.

And so the Thief King went onward with his little journey, in hopes that he wasn't just wasting his time.

* * *

><p>White Mage Bakura had spent the last few hours being carried by rats.<p>

Yes, rats.

At first he couldn't have been bothered to do anything about it, since his head hurt a little too much.

And then he spent some time thinking over what happened.

_I went to get something._

_Something fell._

_And now I'm being carried by rats._

He had been repeating that in his head for the past hour, and it still wasn't making sense.

And now that he was really thinking about it, the question came to him.

_Why am I being carried by rats?_

"U-Um…?" He tried to speak.

"She… I mean he's awake!" One of the rats cried, starting a whole round of chatter.

White Mage winced when he was pulled back down after trying to sit up. "I don't like this. I wanna go back."

"Sorry, we have orders to take you to our leader." Another rat said.

White Mage blinked, "Leader? Wha?"

"Just this way."

The mage pouted, "But I wanna go back to the palace!"

"No can do."

"I wanna go back!"

"No!"

"Pleaseee?"

"No. We're halfway there, so just shut up."

White Mage scowled, "I'm not going to shut up. I wanna go back, so take me back right now!"

He raised his foot up, slamming it down on the rat's heads.

Those rats fell over, holding their heads in pain and White Mage giggled as he managed to slide off of the others.

"What do you think you're doing?" The rats exclaimed in alarm.

"Getting away from you!" White Mage stuck his tongue out while pointing his staff at them in a somewhat threatening way.

And then he made a run for it.

"After him! …Or her. It's hard to tell."

"I'm a _boy_!" White Mage hissed as he ran, not daring to look back.

* * *

><p>It felt like Thief King had been walking forever, and for all he knew, it probably had been forever.<p>

If he really had to say it, he was bored.

"I don't know what I was thinking when I thought Mage might be down here…"

He was just about to go back, when someone ran into him.

"What the…?"

White Mage blinked, "Huhh? Akefia?"

"Mage? Huh. So you were down here."

The mage giggled, and hugged the thief, "You did come for me!"

"Yeah, sure. Why were you down here again?"

"I was being carried by rats."

"…"

"What?"

Thief King burst into hysterics, "Rats? Seriously? That's ten times funnier than a yeti!"

White Mage gave him an odd look, "…Why would there be a yeti in Egypt?"

"There he, or she, is!" Called a rat, from just around the corner.

"I keep saying that I'm _not_ a _girl_!" White Mage screamed, running around the thief to hide.

"I dunno, Mage, you're not being very convincing." Thief King winked, getting a kick in the leg as a response.

The rats gasped when they saw them, "It's the Evil One!"

"Yeah, you'd better be afraid." Thief King laughed.

"What do you want, anyway?" White Mage peaked his head out from behind the thief to ask.

"Well, actually…" Said one rat, who was interrupted by another.

"We just took you so we could use you for ransom against the Evil One!"

"Nice name they gave me."

"It is a very feared name."

"It better be."

White Mage poked the thief in the back, "Um… Akefia? What should we do?"

Thief King thought for a second, "So what were you wanting from me again?"

The larger rat came into view, "You must come with us, for our leader wants to speak with you." He then turned to the mage, "…Oh, and remember me? I'm the one who hit you with that bottle!"

White Mage blinked, "The only thing I remember from last night was getting hit in the head."

"Yes, well that was me."

Thief King eventually shrugged, "Couldn't hurt, I guess."

"Whaat?" White Mage stared at the thief, completely irritated, "But I just got away from these creeps! I wanna go back to the palace!"

"Too bad."

* * *

><p>And so the rats lead the thief and mage to their leader.<p>

They were lead to a secret room in the sewers, where a giant, plump rat sat with a crown that seemed too small.

"Who goes there?" The King Rat said.

"It is the Evil One, Sir." The big rat said.

"Is that so? Then we have a lot to discuss."

Thief King rolled his eyes and looked to the side where there was a giant vault, "Yeah, yeah. First, what's in the vault?"

"That is our Treasury." The King Rat said, "Stay away from it, for it has all of our gold in it."

"Gold?" Thief King's face lit up like a candle.

White Mage sighed, "Here we go…"

"Yes, gold." Said the Rat King, "Now anyway, the reason we've called you because over the years you've made life very hard for us and we're sick of it."

"Huhh?" White Mage blinked, "Akefia hasn't been here that long, has he?"

"I dunno. I've obviously had this castle for a while." Thief King shrugged, "So what's your problem?"

The Rat King glared at him, "We used to live free in the two countries, but you took away our freedom. You trapped up here. …We finally decided that enough was enough. You, _Zorc_, will pay the price."

There was a moment of silence.

Then Thief King burst out into laughter, while White Mage stood there confused.

"_Zorc_? You think that _I'm _Zorc?"

"You are the Evil One, are you not?"

"I am now." The thief smirked, "Zorc's dead, I'm the new villain in town!"

"What…?"

White Mage nodded, "Mhm, I helped with his defeat!"

"You did…?"

The Rat King sat there, confused.

"The name's Thief King Akefia. Got that?"

"Thief King… Is that so?" The Rat King rubbed his chin, "Well, you'll just have to pay instead of Zorc."

He then clapped his hands, and more rats came out with weapons.

"Well that's a little harsh." Thief King blinked.

"Jerk!" White Mage kicked him again, "I don't wanna get killed by furry creatures with sticks!"

"Who said we're gonna get killed?"

The King of Thieves smirked before summoning his _ka_.

None other than the White Serpent; Diabound.

At the sight of the demon, the rats fled in a panic.

Even White Mage hid behind the thief with a frightened squeak of his own.

Thief King laughed evilly at then pointed to the king, "Go Diabound, kill the king!"

Diabound stared at him.

"…The fat guy in front of us who couldn't defend himself if he wanted to."

"You're a jerk." White Mage stated.

"I know."

Diabound hissed with sadistic happiness, and lunged right at the Rat King.

"NO-AGUAH!"

While the gruesome scene took place, White Mage took the honor of shaking in his hiding place.

"…Don't tell me you're scared of snakes." Thief King poked the mage on the head.

"T-Terrified."

* * *

><p>After the murder, every rat that came out to see what happened was immediately taken prisoner.<p>

Soon there was an entire line of rats, taking out from the vault.

Thief King laughed cold and cruel as the slaves tripped and stumbled over each other. "I want every last piece of treasure back at _my_ palace by the end of the day! And those who do otherwise will answer to the White Serpent."

"You're a tyrant!" White Mage exclaimed.

"Look on the bright side, now we can get a hot tub!"

"Why do we need a hot tub?"

"No reason."

* * *

><p>The walk back went by much quicker.<p>

Of course, there was plenty of arguing between the thief and mage, and Diabound was sure to keep the newly found slaves in control.

"I can't believe you're doing this…" White Mage muttered as he held onto the thief's arm.

"Just think. Hot tub."

"You could just ask Master to make you one, you didn't have to enslave an entire race."

"Yeah, well, they deserve it."

"I hate you."

"Suuure."

* * *

><p>Climbing back out of the trap door, they let the slaves pass through then Diabound slammed the door shut.<p>

"Okay, take those riches to my treasury, and don't try anything funny!" Thief King addressed the slave rats.

Many of them sighed and muttered before being pushed and shoved along.

"I still can't believe you're doing this." White Mage pouted.

"You're still going on about that?"

"I'm not going to drop it."

White Mage waited for Diabound to leave with the slaves before he said anything else.

"Diabound scares me." Was the first thing White Mage said afterward, and blushed with a sigh.

"Yeah, that's nice."

"You don't care?"

"Not really." Thief King shrugged and pulled the mage with him as he went over to look at the wine, "Now that we're here…"

White Mage grumbled, "Jerk."

"Heh, so you want red or white wine?"

"I don't want any wine!" The mage snapped.

"Red it is!"

White Mage gave him the hardest glare he would ever accomplish.

And it lasted ten seconds before being dragged out the room by the loud, obnoxious thief who he often hated the best he could.

Though, he would regret to admit that he could try much harder to hate the man.

It couldn't be his fault that he failed every time.

* * *

><p>After the heroes of Monsley Kingdom managed to defeat the water boss that had been placed for them at the oasis, it hadn't taken long for Yami Bakura and the Pharaoh, Yami Yugi, to get into yet another fight.<p>

Ryou Bakura did his best to help his yami in the arguments, though his mind had been wandering to the palace.

Just what was going on in there?

Even in the real world, he could hear thing going on in the palace, and see things happening in the windows.

Ryou had always been someone who was curious about everything.

Though no matter how much he wondered just what kind of adventure the mage and thief had gotten themselves into, his conscience told him that it would simply be better not to know.

And so with good reason, he didn't dare ask.


	15. Passing Through Yami's Home

The boss at the oasis had been a rather difficult battle.

The heroes of Monsley Kingdom had been traveling for what was hours in the game world.

The oasis, of course, was the best thing they saw all day.

The water was cool, and tall plants provided shade from the abnormal neat of the sun.

The monsters chased each other around in the water, as the heroes relaxed and drank up all the liquid that their dry throats required.

However, the peace didn't last long.

A large, fish-like monster splashed out from the water and attacked.

It was a long, and difficult battle.

Of course, at this point in the game, none of the battles were easy.

Now even a simple random encounter left the heroes feeling weak.

They were much stronger than they were when they first started playing, but it still wasn't enough.

After the battle, the heroes didn't spend one more second there.

* * *

><p>"You know, I bet Bakura's just using the same trick from last time." Magic Gunman Hiroto sighed, gulping back an elixir.<p>

"Trick?" Paffii trotted along, beside the gunman's feet.

"In the last game, the Dark Game Master made the last boss over-leveled!" Pokii answered.

"Yeah." Magic Gunman mumbled, "He tried to make sure that there was no way we could possibly win."

"But we beat him anyway!" Pao cackled, "Dark Master's not so tough after all!"

Beast Tamer Yuugi shuffled his feet in the sand; "I don't think Bakura's yami is someone who would use the same trick twice."

"What?" Warrior Jou blinked, "Why not? He'd do anything to win!"

"He probably has something else planned…" Beast Tamer thought, "Something much more sinister…"

* * *

><p>"What are you planning, anyway?" The Pharaoh, Yami Yugi, yelled out from across the table.<p>

"That's for me to know, and you to find out!" Yami Bakura snapped.

The two of them had been arguing non-stop since the oasis boss ended.

Ryou Bakura did his best, between helping his yami in the arguments and looking at the palace.

Yami stopped arguing to give his host an odd look.

Ryou blushed and quickly pointed to the palace, "I-I could have sworn that I saw what looked to be an army of rats!"

"Rats?" Yami winced, "…Do I even want to know?"

"Probably not." The host giggled, then taking a look at where the heroes were on the model, "…Oh, they're getting close to Kul Elna now."

"They are?" Yami's eyes lit up in a sudden burst of excitement.

Ryou nodded, a smile on his face, "I'm looking forward to what will happen when they get to the palace…"

"Yes, Landlord, I am too."

* * *

><p>In the palace, Thief King Bakura called some of his servants back out from the treasury, where he was keeping his newly found fortune.<p>

"So how much is in there now?" He sat back on his throne, excitedly.

"About thirty-million now." The first servant answered, while looking at her nails.

"Wow, I should imprison innocent people and steal their money more often!"

White Mage Bakura, who was reluctantly sitting on the thief's lap, made a bitter scowl.

"Know of anybody else we can invade?" Akefia made a fiendish grin.

"We'll look into that." The servants bowed.

"You do that. ...By the way, looking good."

The servants giggled and ran off, teasing each other on the way out.

Thief King laughed to himself, and poked the mage on the cheek. "What's got you so quiet?"

"I'm mad at you." White Mage crossed his arms and pouted.

"Still?"

"Yes. I still am."

"Well, okay then." Thief King went back to watching the servants work.

After a few seconds, White Mage slowly put his arms down and looked up at the thief. "I-I said I'm mad! Aren't you bothered?"

"Not really." Came a simple reply.

"O-Oh…" The mage leaned back with a sigh.

Thief King chuckled, petting his mage's head, "Ya know, you don't look so 'mad'."

"I am mad!" White Mage spun around on his lap with a squeal.

"Whatever. I'm going out pretty quick, wanna come?"

The mage blinked, "Out…?"

"Yeah. Outside. You know, walk around and stuff."

"Oh." He smiled at the thought of getting to go out the palace, "I wanna go with you, Akefia."

"Heh, great."

* * *

><p>There they stood, at the entrance of Kul Elna.<p>

After hours of walking, the heroes finally made it…

Though it wasn't exactly what they were expecting.

It was just a little town, leading upward to the palace.

The buildings were old and rundown, with signs of decay.

It didn't look as if anyone was living there at all…

Were the people frightened off when their king went off the edge?

Or did something else happen?

"What happened here?" Magician Anzu looked around, horrified.

"I don't know…" Magic Gunman went to examine the sign, "Where are we, anyway?"

"Kul Elna."

"…What?" He looked over to Beast Tamer, who stood there, staring at the village. "How can you tell?"

"I… I just know."

Beast Tamer knew this place the moment he saw it.

He remembered what Ammit had told him…

_There was a dark ritual, which required the ninety-nine souls of the village Kul Elna…_

Just this village told him that they were close.

Though…

He wasn't sure if he really wanted to be here.

Not after learning its dark secret.

"Well, let's get going already!" Warrior went on ahead, but was pulled back by a distressed-looking Beast Tamer. "Nyeh…?"

"We have to be careful here!" Beast Tamer exclaimed, "I don't trust this village!"

Magic Gunman exchanged glances with the Magician before moving forward. "There's no one here, what's there to worry about?"

"Yeah, Yugi." Magician laughed, "Plus it's probably just best if we get through here as soon as possible."

"Maybe…" Beast Tamer gave the monsters a questioning look.

Pao made a loud cackle, slapping his master's ankle. "We're gonna be fine. If we need to, we can beat anyone in our way!"

"Yeah, Master!" Paffii grinned in agreement, "If you need help, that's what we're here for!"

"I agree that we should be careful." Said Pokii, who sat on his master's head quite happily.

Beast Tamer sighed, "Okay, but let's try not to get separated or anything like that."

* * *

><p>"What do you have planned now?" The Pharaoh raised an eyebrow.<p>

Yami crossed his arms, coolly, "Well, that depends on your little pawn's actions."

"They're not my pawns."

"Oh, aren't they?"

Yami smirked as a fit of hesitation ran across the pharaoh's face.

He had always loved to mess with people's minds.

Even after three thousand years, the oh-so great Nameless Pharaoh was still as clueless as ever.

Oh what fun!

Ryou must have been reading his yami's mind when he joined in, "Aren't you relieved to have your party members to protect Yugi?"

The Pharaoh twitch, yelling out "Of course I-"

He stopped after realizing what the host meant.

"Oh…"

Ryou lowered his head, a little nervously.

He wasn't exactly used to being manipulative like his yami.

Though he felt a little better after Yami reached over to him arm, speaking over the mind-link, "_Now, don't be so afraid to have some fun with the fool._"

Ryou blinked, "_I'm not good at it like you are, Yami._"

"_Oh? You know, I told you before… I think you're more devious than you show._"

The host looked up at him, "_I…_"

"_In all honesty, I think you should let that side of you out more often._"

Ryou then let out a crazed giggle, "_Really?_"

"_Have I ever lied to you, Landlord? …Don't answer that._"

* * *

><p>The heroes had been closely following the path for a while now.<p>

The village was much bigger than first thought.

"Man. So many steps…" Warrior gasped.

"Oh, just keep going!" Magician rolled her eyes, although she was out of breath, herself.

There didn't appear to be a single soul in the village, other than them…

However, little did they know that they were being watched from the darkness.

"How many potions do we have left?" Magic Gunman yawned.

"Not many." Magician answered, a little worried.

"Think we had one too many breaks?" Pao giggled.

"Can't help it…" Warrior huffed, while forcing himself to keep climbing up the path, "The monsters in this game are way too tough… Ugh, it's so annoying!"

Beast Tamer was the one to notice the shadows move.

"G-Guys…" He stopped moving instantly.

The others turned around, looking at him oddly, "What?"

"I saw something move…"

"I don't see anything." Magician said.

"Yug, this place is a wasteland." Warrior slammed his foot on the ground, impatiently, "Nobodies here except for us!"

"Oh." Though this didn't make Beast Tamer feel much better.

As they continued to walk, Warrior and Pao went on to complaining about the lack of items.

"I can't believe we're running out of potions." Warrior cried, "Next battle, we're screwed!"

"Yeah, yeah." Pao groaned, eying the money pouch with Magician.

A grin sneaked onto his face and the monster flew back, snatching the pouch from her.

"Hey!" Magician screamed, trying to grab onto the dragon, who flew up and reached his hand into the pouch.

"What's in here, anyway?" Pao mumbled while he looked through the sack.

"Pao, give that back, right now!"

"Five hundred? Seven hundred?" He counted with a smirk.

"Pao!"

That was when the creatures came out of hiding.

Two ghost-like monsters rushed out, one knocking the dragon down.

The heroes then gasped when the two monsters stole and flew off with the money pouch.

"Y-You... Stupid thieves!" Pao screamed, flying off after them, "Give that back!"

"Pao, get back here!" Beast Tamer went to chase him, but was pulled back by Warrior.

"You guys keep going." He declared, "I'll get Pao and bring him back."

The Warrior then ran off to join the chase, and the rest of heroes kept on going.

* * *

><p>"What?" The Pharaoh gasped, "But they can't be separated! Why did he do that...?"<p>

Ryou grinned, feeling pretty good about himself, "Well, you care about that monster, right? Pawn or not, he's still your friend. Isn't he?"

The Pharaoh just had to sent him a hard glare.

* * *

><p>"This place is really creepy..." White Mage shuddered as he walked down the village's path, beside the thief.<p>

"Yeah, used to be a lot nicer." Thief King shrugged.

The mage stepped down carefully, trying his best not to trip, "Did you really use to live here?"

"Uh huh."

"Wow..."

White Mage blinked when something moved at the corner of his eyes.

He quickly pulled on the thief's coat, "A-Akefia, something's there!"

"...What?" Thief King stopped and looked around, "Might just be a ghost."

"A ghost?"

"Oh sure!" The thief cackled, "You know what happened in Kul Elna, don't ya?"

White Mage shook his head, "No, I don't."

The king of thieves grinned, "Well, this village used to belong to thieves like me."

"A village of thieves?" White Mage wasn't exactly sure if he wanted to know the rest of the story, "...What happened?"

"The items were made."

"Oh! You mean the Millennium Items?"

"Yeah. Those." Thief King let out a sigh before continuing, "It was one of those darker rituals. The corpses of ninety-nine souls melted in with gold. Not exactly a nice way to go, is it?"

White Mage couldn't have even imagined how horrified he looked.

The Thief King laughed, "Ya know, everybody looks that way after being told the story."

"Whoever did the ritual..." The mage hugged his arm, "They didn't get away with it, did they...?"

"You know how society works." Thief King shrugged, with a bitter-sounding voice, "If it's not written in stone, no one cares."

* * *

><p>"Pao, wait up!" Warrior raced through the different alleyways of the village.<p>

Though no matter how fast he ran, he just couldn't catch up to the monster.

Eventually he lost sight of the monsters all together.

"Ugh... Where'd he go now?"

Warrior kept on walking until a sudden realization came over him...

"...I'VE BEEN WALKING AROUND IN CIRCLES."

* * *

><p>"Come back here!" Pao growled, in pursuit of the thieving ghosts.<p>

At the moment, there was nothing he hated more than listening to the ghosts snicker away.

It was like they were planning something...

Pao had always hated the feeling that every move he made had been planned out.

Although he knew that he was a pawn, he never liked the idea.

Of course, whether or not the other two monsters knew the same thing was beyond him.

He had only become aware when his master had befriended him so long ago.

And since then, he had been living with the awful truth.

No one likes being a pawn.

And the very thought of it sickened him.

The ghosts giggled.

Pao wasn't expecting them to stop suddenly.

He ended up flying right through them, crashing right into the walls of a once-home.

"Ugh..."

He wanted to scream at them now, but that anger quickly turned into fear as he noticed the dangerous look in their eyes...

* * *

><p>"What are they going to do?" The Pharaoh hissed.<p>

"Why the sudden concern?" Yami chuckled.

"This monster is still my friend."

Ryou winced, "You're only saying that because I brought it up."

Yami laughed, loudly, "How shallow our _dear _pharaoh is!"

The Pharaoh tightened his fists, failing to push back the hateful thoughts that had suddenly invaded his mind.

"_Yami...?_" A little voice entered his head through the mind-link.

"_Y-Yugi!_"

"_Yami, are you okay?_"

"_I'm... Fine, Yugi. But you need to find Pao._"

"_What? Is he in trouble?_"

"_Yes. Hurry._"

* * *

><p>Beast Tamer stopped right in his tracks, and started back down the path he came from.<p>

"Yugi?" The others blinked.

"Pao's in trouble, and maybe even Joey, too!" Beast Tamer called back to them.

His party members exchanged glances, before following him back down and into an alley.

* * *

><p>White Mage was sure he wasn't hearing things.<p>

"I heard it again!" He stated.

"Yeah, yeah." Thief King had been listening to his mage point out every noise and movement for the past few minutes.

However, it was then that a different sound caught his attention.

"…Hey, Mage, hear that?"

White Mage tilted his head to the side, curiously.

* * *

><p>"PAO!" The voice of the Warrior echoed through the not-so deserted village.<p>

* * *

><p>White Mage grinned, and ran off to where the sound was coming from.<p>

Thief King had to help him up onto the roof of a building before they finally saw the warrior down below.

"That?" White Mage asked, pointing down.

"That." The thief grinned, "I think we have some visitors."

* * *

><p>Warrior kicked the ground, in anger.<p>

That stupid dragon just had to run off like that and get him lost.

Sure, their money was stolen by a bunch of monsters.

Plus he probably would have done the same thing.

But still.

His friends were probably on their way to the palace right now.

* * *

><p>White Mage blinked when the thief picked him up.<p>

"…What are you-?"

Thief King grinned…

And tossed him over the edge. "Down ya go!"

* * *

><p>"…WHAAH!"<p>

"Nyeh?" Warrior looked up moments before the White Mage pushed him down, landing right on top of him.

White Mage hissed up towards the thief, who was already on the move, "You didn't have to THROW me!"

"Mini 'Kura?"

White Mage gasped, sliding off the other pawn, "I-Im sorry!"

Warrior's eyes narrowed, "Who were you talkin' to?"

"I, uh…"

What was Bakura's mage doing here?

That could only mean one thing…

"Nice to see ya, wuss." Said a cocky voice from behind.

Warrior jumped to his feet, glaring as hard as possible.

The Thief King.

* * *

><p>"Oh, what's this?" Yami grinned, "Two of your oh-so precious friends in trouble?"<p>

"Joey!" The Pharaoh gasped.

Ryou watched between the two different scenes taking place. "I'm not sure how the Warrior got so far away from your monster, but by the look of it, you can only save one."

"Only one…?"

"Yes. However, you may only have to save one."

The Pharaoh winced, suspicious of the host.

"So, Pharaoh," Yami cackled, "Who is more important to you? Which of these pawns is more worth saving?"

Ryou giggled.

He and Yami were making this sound more serious than it needed to be.

After all, he had said that only one of them would need to be saved.

As much as the Pharaoh hated the other darkness…

He had to admit that Yami was right.

He could only save one of them.

"_Yugi._" He decided to call Yugi once again through the mind-link.

"_…Pharaoh?_" Beast Tamer blinked as he ran, "_What is it?_"

The Pharaoh's voice certainly wasn't as calm as it usually was, "_Pao isn't the only one in trouble._"

"_What?_"

"_It's Joey. He's a ways away… You'll have to hurry. H-He was found by the Thief King._"

* * *

><p>Beast Tamer gasped, and switch directions.<p>

"Yugi, where are you going?" Magician called after him.

"Joey's in trouble, now, too!"

"What?"

Pokii had personally thought that his best friend was more important. "But Master, what about Pao?"

"Oh…" Yugi stopped to think. "…Can you and Paffii go look for Pao while we find Joey?"

"Sure, we can do that!" Paffii barked and ran off.

Pokii sighed before following the other monster.

* * *

><p>Pao was just lucky that he was able to fend off the ghosts for even a little while.<p>

The ghosts hissed as they each took turns striking at him.

It was a good thing that he had pretty good reflexes, especially for a little monster like him.

He didn't even notice a third creature appear in the shadows.

As they attacked, Pao managed to jump out of the way just on time.

However, it appeared that his luck was running out…

The ghosts seemed to disappear out of nowhere.

"What…?" Pao blinked, looking around, "Where'd you go?"

It seemed that the two ghosts had gone for good.

…Until they came from behind.

Pao hissed as he was pulled up into the air. "What are you doing? Put me down!"

They swung back and fourth, smacking the dragon along-side into a building.

The dragon snapped viciously at them, only to realize that his jaws went right through them.

The ghosts giggled as they carried him up in the air, over the ruins of Kul Elna.

He never thought of where he was being taken, until he looked down.

Just because he was a dragon, didn't mean he wasn't afraid of heights.

In fact, he was terrified of falling.

If his small wings couldn't save him, nothing would.

"N-NO! Put me BACK on the ground!" Pao screamed at them, making the amused spirits giggle.

He shut his eyes in horror, as they were about to drop him…

And waited.

But nothing happened?

He slowly opened his eyes…

And the first thing he saw was what looked like huge jaws coming right at them.

The creature snapped, catching the two spirits, along with Pao, and let herself fall safely to the ground.

Only seconds after Pao was released and safe, the demon consumed the ghosts as if they were living.

Pao's eyes widened as he realized who his rescuer was…

As the Devourer looked down on him, a frightening grin on her face.

* * *

><p>Of course, all of the Pharaoh's attention was focused on Joey.<p>

Ryou giggled.

Leave it to the Pharaoh to forget all about his other 'friend'.

Especially when something so important just happened.

"I'm glad Yugi has such a loyal yami." He joked to himself, then hearing an amused snicker from his own darkness.

"What was that?" The Pharaoh crossed his arms.

"You wouldn't understand the joke."

"A Joke, Ryou Bakura?"

"Yes, Yami Yugi. A joke."

"Well? What is the joke?"

"Hum…" Ryou placed a finger on his lip, "I just find it funny how you called off your monster's rescue and placed all of your interest into your other friend. Then just as you do, you miss something important."

The Pharaoh blinked, "Something …Important?"

"You heard the Landlord." Yami said, well amused.

The Pharaoh looked over to where Pao had been…

Only to realize that the monster's overworld pawn had completely disappeared.

Though that was impossible.

"What on earth…" He mumbled.

He didn't remember this game being so messed up.

He wasn't sure what Bakura had done to the game, but something was different.

That was for sure.

* * *

><p>"You!" Warrior growled, stepping back as the thief came towards him.<p>

"Oh, don't be so surprised." Thief King rolled his eyes, "You think I'm stuck in that palace until you heroes come? Sorry if I like going out every so often."

Well, that hadn't even crossed the Warrior's mind, but that as besides the point.

"Oh… Uh, right."

"I guess we saw you, and we just wanted to say 'hello'!" White Mage giggled.

Warrior honestly didn't buy that.

Not for one second.

He continued to back away, "Oh yeah? So what do you want from me, then?"

"I'm a villain. Why do you think I'm here?"

"Uhh… To annoy me?"

"Pretty much."

* * *

><p>Pokii and Paffii were exhausted when they found their master again.<p>

"Ugh, we didn't find Pao anywhere..." Paffii panted.

"Why did he have to run off like that?" Pokii cried.

"It's okay..." Beast Tamer bent down to embrace the monster, "Pao will be just fine, we have to find Joey right now."

Pokii winced, but nodded, "Fine, okay."

* * *

><p>"Joey, we're coming!" Beast Tamer called as he ran.<p>

The heroes raced through the many alleyways of Kul Elna.

Of course, they didn't exactly know where the Warrior was, and were going purely on whatever directions the Pharaoh could give them.

It was a miracle that they finally found him.

"Joey?"

"Guys?" Came an answer, at last.

Though they weren't expecting to find the Warrior with none other than the Thief King.

"Thief King?" Magic Gunman didn't have a clue to why he would be there.

"The one and only!" Thief King laughed, proudly.

His attention went back onto the Warrior, who made a run for it.

"Get him!" The thief ordered.

White Mage blinked, and managed to grab onto the Warrior's arm. "I gotcha!"

"H-Hey!" Warrior flailed, "Lemme go, Mini 'Kura!"

"Sorry, Warrior." Though the mage still didn't let go.

"Isn't this a bit early for us to meet?" Beast Tamer asked, meekly.

"Yeah," Thief King shrugged, "But what kind of tyrant would I be if I ignore my foes when I see them?"

In a way, Beast Tamer admired the King of Thieves.

Even after all he had been through, here he was, acting as tough as ever.

"I don't think we should battle yet…" White Mage reminded the thief, who scratched his head.

"Well… Fine."

"So that means Mini 'Kura can let me go, now?" Warrior asked, a sparkle in his eye.

"Yeeeaaah, no."

Thief King snapped his fingers, and another four ghosts appeared to join him.

"Wha-AHH!" Warrior winced as the spirits rushed right past him, creating a barrier between him and his friends, and getting ready to attack.

"What are we gonna do?" Magician gasped.

"What else is there to do other than to fight?" Paffii snickered.

Pokii sighed, "Where's Pao when you need him?"

* * *

><p>"Ammit?" Pao screeched.<p>

"Who else would I be?" The Devourer growled, causing the little dragon to flinch.

"Maybe another ghost?"

"…You know, I'm not even sure why I bothered to save you."

"Because of how cool I am?"

"Uggh, not even close."

Ammit could have let the ghosts murder him.

She still would have gotten a nice little dragon's heart.

Then again, this was the game world and everything happened for a reason.

"Well, do you know how hard it is to find someone who truly appreciates apples?"

"Look," Ammit snapped, "Don't you have some friends to help or something?"

"Oh yeah." Pao chuckled, "…Wait, what do you mean 'help'? Are they in trouble?"

"Come and find out." The Egyptian demon gestured for the dragon to follow.

"...Right." Pao ran after her, before the two of them raced off to join the battle that was starting.

* * *

><p>"Anything you have coming, we're ready for!" The heroes got into a fighting pose.<p>

"Great," Thief King pointed to them, "'Cause here we come!"

"Let's make this battle quick." The Pharaoh groaned and got his dice ready.

"Aren't you having fun?" Ryou glanced over to his yami's possessed dice.

"This is anything but fun." Said the Pharaoh.

Ryou pouted, while not expecting Yami to look over to him, and answer his thoughts.

"You know, you could just ask, Landlord."

"Mm?"

"The dice are yours for the taking." Yami winked, sliding the dice over.

Ryou smiled, taking them, "...Thank-you."

* * *

><p>The ghosts went on ahead, lunging towards the heroes.<p>

Ryou dropped the dice down, getting the expected super critical.

With that, the ghost's power increased and their attacks were successful.

The ghosts attacked together and went right through the Beast Tamer.

"Argh!" The little pawn cried as a quarter of his life was drained away and added onto the ghost's own health.

"Whoa, so that's what they do!" Thief King laughed.

"I hope they're never mad at me." White Mage said, nervously.

"Yugi!"

The party helped Beast Tamer get his balance back. "Thanks..." He giggled.

"Now... My turn's next!" The Magician got ready to attack.

* * *

><p>The Pharaoh took a deep breath before dropping his dice down, "Well, here we go."<p>

"Keep Yugi safe?" Ryou smiled and the Pharaoh hid a grin.

Twenty-five.

"You need less than thirty, so the Magician's attack is successful!"

* * *

><p>Magician lifted her staff into the air, casting forth a strong tornado.<p>

She then threw it to the ghosts.

One of them managed to get caught in it, and was seemingly torn apart.

"Hey, these enemies are pretty weak in defense." She blinked.

"Yes, but they have strong attacks." Added Beast Tamer.

"You know," Thief King rubbed the back of his neck, "It's a good thing this is just the game world, or for all we know, that could have been my mom."

* * *

><p>"Next, a ghost attacks." Ryou dropped the dice.<p>

Super critical, of course.

"The ghost attacks Yugi, taking five hitpoints." He declared.

* * *

><p>One of the ghosts snickered, and began its assault towards the Beast Tamer.<p>

It went right through him and upward, out from is skull, taking five hitpoints from the hero.

"Ach!" Beast Tamer fell down to his knees, holding his head which was now freezing.

Once again, his friends helped him back up.

Beast Tamer smiled.

He had always loved how kind his friends were.

"He'd better beat these guys quick." Magic Gunman said.

"Right."

* * *

><p>"Must you attack Yugi every time?" The Pharaoh snapped.<p>

"I'm sorry..." Ryou replied with apologetic eyes, "I could use up all of my attacks on Tristan instead."

The Pharaoh nodded hopefully, two seconds before catching on. "Are we still going on about this?

"Mhm!"

"...Next is the Magic Gunman's turn." The Pharaoh dropped the dice.

Fifteen.

"The attack is successful!"

* * *

><p>The Magic Gunman glowed a bright orange as he triggered a special attack.<p>

He jumped back, guns in hands, and shot one ghost multiple times.

That ghost shriveled up and made a 'pop' sound as it exploded.

"Woo hoo! Only two more weaklings to go!" Paffii cheered on beside Pokii.

* * *

><p>"So that's everything?" Pao blinked, while keeping up with Ammit.<p>

"Everything that's important." The Devourer answered as she ran down the alley. "Anyway, we're find them soon."

Of course, they could see the ghosts, as well.

"Glad I'm not there." Pao mumbled.

"You will be in a second."

"Hey, I wonder if there's anything to eat here..."

"Don't even try it."

"Worth a shot."

* * *

><p>"It's our turn again." Ryou smiled, about to drop the dice.<p>

Yami made a smirk, leaning over, "Do you have some kind of plan in mind, now?"

The host stopped for a moment.

"...Yes. I do."

Not even Yami could hide how thrilled he was.

Just what he wanted to hear.

"Yami?"

"Yesss?"

The host continued smiling, "Could you add in a certain trait to the ghosts?"

He went ahead, whispering his plan into his darkness' ear.

A long, fiendish look stretched over Yami's face, before making the changes on the laptop. "Well said, Landlord."

And with that, Ryou dropped the dice down.

Super critical.

* * *

><p>Instead of attacking just yet, the barrier between the Warrior and the heroes shattered.<p>

"Th-The barrier's gone!" White Mage looked over to the thief for an answer.

"Hey, you'd know more than I would." Thief King shrugged.

The mage blinked, "...Master?"

He let go of the Warrior, who immediately ran back to his friends.

"Joey, you're okay!" Beast Tamer hugged him.

"Yeah, but I don't like what those ghosts are doin'."

At that second, the ghosts connected with each other, and merged together.

The heroes gasped as two small ghosts became one big monster; a giant ghoul.

There was no way that they could have prevented the attack.

The ghoul-like monster took off into the air, and struck each of the heroes like a knife.

The players each suffered a disturbing amount of damage.

And with the attack, came a little bit of poison to each hero.

"A-Argh!" Beast Tamer held onto his chest, worried, "What did it do to us...?"

* * *

><p>"Yugi!" The Pharaoh nearly jumped.<p>

Ryou giggled, watching the reaction, "Your turn."

"Hmph." The Pharaoh dropped down the dice, "I'll have to finish this quickly."

"My turn next!" The Warrior shouted, giving the evil eye to the Thief King.

His sword burst into flames, and he ran towards the ghoul.

He managed the take off quite a bit of their enemy's health.

However, it wasn't enough.

* * *

><p>Ryou dropped the brainwashed dice, giving the ghost a whole new wave of power.<p>

* * *

><p>The ghoul smirked, before letting out a burst of energy.<p>

The energy hit the heroes, sending them flying back and destroying about half of their remaining hitpoints.

"Yugi, are you okay...?" Magician wheezed.

"M-Mhm."

"I think I landed in an awkward way..."

Even the thief and mage had troubles staying on their feet, although the attack wasn't directed at them.

"Whoa, that's some wind." Thief King made a nervous laugh.

"That made my head feel fuzzy!" White Mage winced, while holding his head.

* * *

><p>The Pharaoh's eyes widened in sudden fear at his nearly-fallen game pieces. "<em>No!<em>"

Ryou giggled.

The Pharaoh really was just a big drama queen.

Any second now the battle would end, though he knew that he wouldn't win.

But that was all part of the plan, so it didn't really matter.

"_I think now's a good time to end this._" He told Yami through the mind-link.

"_Alright, Landlord._"

"It's Yugi's turn now..." The Pharaoh reached for the dice, however Ryou snapped his fingers and the dice disappeared. "...What on Earth?"

"Sorry." Ryou put a finger up, and then checked on the laptop screen. "The heroes are too stunned to move, and they miss this turn."

"What?" The Pharaoh hissed, "But that's not fair!"

"Well, you have faith in Yugi, don't you?"

"I... Grh..."

Ryou and Yami laughed together before dropping the dice, "...Super critical!"

"NO!"

* * *

><p>"There they are!" Pao pointed to his friends, "Hey, they are in trouble."<p>

"Time to go all hero?" Ammit snickered to herself.

"Duh, CHARGE!"

* * *

><p>Now, the ghoul went for one last attack.<p>

The adventurers gasped in horror, realizing they couldn't move.

It would only take one more blow to kill the heroes, and end the game in Yami's favor...

But that wouldn't be any fun, now would it?

Another wave of energy hit the ghoul, and it attacked...

Or, it would have attacked, if it hadn't been tackled and mauled by Ammit.

* * *

><p>"What...?" The Pharaoh couldn't even understand what happened.<p>

"We're not going to defeat you yet." Ryou explained, and Yami laughed to himself as he continued, "Wait until we reach the palace, okay?"

"Hmph... I knew you wouldn't defeat us."

The two Dark Game Masters rolled their eyes.

* * *

><p>The two ghosts separated, and were finally devoured in the jaws of Ammit.<p>

Pao jumped off of her back and ran to the other monsters. "Did you guys miss me?"

Pokii laughed and hugged the dragon, "We forgot you were gone!"

"Yeah. ...Where'd you go, anyway?" Paffii yawned.

"Just out and about. You know."

The heroes managed to get up, not really knowing what was going on.

Only to see the Devourer smirking at them.

"EEP!" Magician jumped back, "What and who are you?"

Ammit cackled, then looked over to the thief.

"...Well, hey there." Thief King scratched the back of his head.

"W-Who's that?" White Mage hid behind the thief.

"Just Ammit. Don't think she's here for us."

"Wha...?"

"Ammit?" Beast Tamer tilted his head.

"Uh huh." Ammit nodded, taking a step closer to the heroes. "Surprised to see me so soon?"

"What the heck is that, Yug?" Warrior blinked.

"U-Uhm..." Beast Tamer pointed to the Devourer, "Ammit tested me in the cave when we got separated there."

The party members exchanged glances, "So... That's what happened?"

"Yeah."

"Well, this is good then!" Magic Gunman said, "If she joined our party, then there's no way we can lose! Right?"

Ammit didn't bother to replying.

She only wanted to go to the palace with them.

Beast Tamer laughed nervously before turning his attention to the thief and mage. "We beat you again."

"Well, duh." Thief King shrugged.

"That wasn't an important battle!" White Mage skipped over to the heroes, "Make sure you're ready for when we meet at the palace!"

"Okay, we'll finish the game there."

"You bet!" Thief King cackled, "And we're the ones who are gonna win!"

The mage nodded, taking his staff out and healing the heroes to what seemed like full health. "Please be safe until then!"

"Thanks, we really needed that." Magic Gunman took a deep breath.

White Mage giggled and ran back to the thief, "I wanna go back to the palace now!"

"Guess we have to do that now, anyway." Thief King picked him up with a wave to the adventurers, "See ya there!"

"Just you wait, we're going to make you cry!" The Warrior called out.

"Sure, keep thinking that!" Thief King laughed, and ran off.

* * *

><p>Ryou handed the dice back to Yami with a smile, "Was that okay?"<p>

"Yes, Landlord. I'm rather impressed."

Ryou smiled.

The Pharaoh sighed, "Well, one more battle is done and over with. Now all that's left is the final boss."

"Are you looking forward to it?" Ryou asked.

The Pharaoh thought for a moment, "...Yes, I think I am."

"That's good." The host shifted on his seat, "Be sure to protect all of Yugi's friends. ...Okay?"

"...Fine, Ryou Bakura."

* * *

><p>"Well, at least everyone's together again." Magic Gunman yawned.<p>

"And we even have someone new with us!" Magician leaned over to pet Ammit's mane.

"...Why are you here, anyway?" Beast Tamer asked.

"Me?" Ammit purred, "Originally I was just here for a meal. Now I just want to see what happens."

"Oh."

"C'mon, gang, let's gooo!" Pao went flying on ahead.

"Hey, Pao!" Magician yelled, "Did you get our money pouch back?"

"Must have dropped it. Now hurry uppp!"

Magician groaned. "Of course you did."

The party laughed, and ran after the monster.

* * *

><p>Just as well they wouldn't have any more use for the money.<p>

The next stop was the palace...

Where, at long last, the winner of this game would finally be decided.

* * *

><p>Ryou looked over to the clock.<p>

Twenty-to twelve.

Hard to believe that this whole adventure has only taken place in a few hours.

Felt more like days.

Maybe he would get some sleep that night, after all.

"_It won't be long now._" Yami grinned.

"_Mmm, really?_"

"_Yes... I'm looking forward to it. And I'm sure you are, too, my devious Landlord._"

Ryou blushed. "_I only wish the battle would start sooner._"

"_As do I._"

* * *

><p>It was a bit later, after the thief and mage got back to the palace.<p>

Thief King gave a quick visit to his new slaves, then ordered for some food.

"Ya know, it's good to be king." He proudly bit into an apple.

"I'm a king, too." White Mage stated, plopping grapes into his mouth.

"Whatever you say, King of Grapes."

This got a giggle out of the mage.

"So... I take it you're not 'mad at me', anymore." The thief grinned.

"No, I like you again now!"

"Good to know."

"Uhm, Akefia..." White Mage got up from his seat, and crawled on to the theif's lap.

Thief King smirked, stealing a grape. "What?"

"Something is bothering me."

"Okay."

The mage went right onto explaining. "After that battle, I healed all the heroes, but there was a stat problem I couldn't heal."

"And that was?"

"They still have the poison effect."

"So Ryou's gonna slowly kill them with poison. That'll be useful."

White Mage tilted his head, "Master planned it...?"

The thief shrugged, "Whatever. That just makes our job easier."

"I guess so..." The mage leaned back and yawned.

* * *

><p>Even though it wasn't too late in the game world yet, by this point everyone was a bit tired.<p>

As the heroes of Monsley Kingdom continued on their way to the palace, they couldn't help but to wonder why they were feeling so odd...


	16. What Would A Yami Do To Win

Well, this was it.

At long last, it was finally time for the Heroes of Monsley Kingdom to meet with the evil villains one last time.

But could they do it?

Of course they could.

They were the heroes, after all!

Plus they were on a roll.

Nothing could stop them from beating the game and getting back to the real world.

They would have to defeat the Dark Game Masters first, though.

No big deal.

Not with the Pharaoh on their side.

* * *

><p>Ryou Bakura took yet another glance at the clock.<p>

Five minutes until midnight...

He grinned excitedly, and poked his yami on the shoulder.

"Yes, Landlord?" Yami Bakura made a smirk.

"Are you excited?"

Yami laughed, "Of course. This is the moment I've been waiting for the whole game."

"That's good." Ryou smiled, and looked down into the model.

Yami really was more excited than he was trying to show.

In fact, he was pretty much bouncing in his seat.

He could get up and dance with his Landlord all over the room, he was so thrilled.

Now it was time to end this...

To end the Pharaoh, who he hated so much.

Then he would have finally won.

The Pharaoh and his foolish vessel would never interfere again, and it would be just him and his Landlord.

Did the Pharaoh really think he had a chance?

The Pharaoh had another thing coming.

Just a little longer...

* * *

><p>"So many stairs..." Warrior Jou wheezed as the heroes continued walking through the hill-side village of Kul Elna.<p>

"Stop complaining, just keep going." Magic Gunman Hiroto groaned.

They were all feeling quite weak.

They weren't sure why, since last they checked they were in full health.

Probably not important.

"Hey, Ammit..." Beast Tamer Yuugi brought his attention to the Devourer who walked beside him.

"What?" Ammit didn't bother to look at him.

"I was just wondering something."

She mumbled in response, not wanting to repeat herself.

"How strong is he?" Beast Tamer's question wasn't so surprising.

Ammit gave a grunt, looking down as she took her steps. "Well, he's not going to be a walk in the park if that's what you're hoping. Remember who the Dark Masters are."

"Oh, right."

Had Ammit always been aware of the real world?

"Hey, I think we're there!" Magician Anzu exclaimed.

The environment of the village seemed to change when they came to a large garden.

A maze.

Beast Tamer gulped.

The heroes quickly made sure that they had everything they needed, and then took their first steps into the garden.

"Is everyone ready?"

"You bet."

* * *

><p>"So? Are they coming yet?" Thief King Bakura sat down with the mage and spoke to some of the servants.<p>

"They've just entered the gardens." One of the servants answered.

"Good."

White Mage Bakura rubbed his eyes and made a quick yawn, "Does this mean the game's almost over?"

Thief King grinned and got up from his throne, "Yeah, I guess."

"Aww." The mage pouted.

"Having fun?"

White Mage nodded, and the servants giggled.

The servants each bowed then. "Return safely after the murder, our king."

The King of Thieves smirked, "And who would I be to let such lovely ladies down?"

More giggles came from the servants, as White Mage's face became a bright red and he grabbed hold of the thief's hand, pulling at it.

"Problem Mage~?"

The mage stuck his tongue out. "I wanna go now! Now!"

"Well, if ya say so." Thief King picked the mage up, with a smirk as White Mage giggled happily. "While we're gone, go find a good place to hang up the hero's heads."

The servants bowed once more, leaving the throne room right after.

"Their heads…?" White Mage blinked.

"Oh, you gotta admit that would look cool."

* * *

><p>By now, the heroes knew better than to get separated in the palace gardens.<p>

They walked together, holding each others hands like a train, with even the monsters taking part.

Other than Ammit, who know exactly where she was going. "You all look ridiculous doing that."

"Guess what. We don't care." Warrior snapped.

He jumped back when Ammit swung a claw in his face.

The monsters cackled in amusement and Warrior blushed, unamused.

"You know, Master?" Pokii sighed, "I'm sad that our adventurer is coming to an end…"

Oh…

At the end of the game, they would have to say 'good-bye' to the monsters, wouldn't they?

Unless Ryou would let him keep the pawns.

Beast Tamer pet the balloon-like monster, "Well, maybe some day Ryou and I can just have a nice game and we can have a lot more adventures together."

Pokii smiled, "Yeah."

"Pfft." Warrior snorted, "Like we'd ever get a fair game out of Bakura!"

"I'm sure Bakura would love to have a fair game…" Magician scratched her arm, which was feeling oddly irritable, "Maybe."

"Yeah. Maybe. Not really."

Beast Tamer sighed.

* * *

><p>"Ryou Bakura." The Pharaoh, Yami Yugi, muttered from his seat.<p>

"Hm?" Ryou looked up from the model, "…Yes?"

"I just want to tell you… That I will win this."

"Sure."

Was the Pharaoh saying that to assure Ryou, or to assure himself?

It was hard to tell.

Ryou wasn't really paying attention to the Pharaoh anymore.

The battle just wasn't coming soon enough.

If time were going any slower, he'd have burst into tears.

He wanted it to start…

So he could end it.

It was about time they saw Diabound in action, no?

"…How much longer?" Ryou couldn't help but to ask.

Yami laughed, "Well, aren't you impatient."

"I-I can't help myself. I want you to beat him."

"Well, that's touching, Landlord."

Ryou laughed, nervously, "Well, what can I say?"

His darkness smirked, and took hold of his host's hand, "Anyway, it'll all be over soon. Be sure of that."

Ryou blushed, and nodded, "Good."

* * *

><p>"Okay… Now where the heck are they?" Thief King sat down on the side of a pool, looking around.<p>

White Mage peeked into the hedge, "In there somewhere? The heroes can't be that far away."

"Well, go look for them."

The mage crossed his arms, "But what if I get lost?"

"You're a mage, you can figure it out."

"A white mage!"

"Does it matter? There's gotta be some kind of spell for not getting lost."

When Thief King didn't look convinced, the mage thought it over. "….Okay."

* * *

><p>Mage waved to the thief before running on into the maze.<p>

Looking into his inventory, he smiled and pulled out a small ball of stone.

Saying a quick spell, the ball faded away, becoming a pixie-like light.

"Take me to the heroes, and trace my steps, please!" White Mage ordered the light.

It showed no acknowledgment, though he knew it understood what it was suppose to do.

And with that, Mage went on his merry way.

* * *

><p>"I think we're lost." Magic Gunman blinked.<p>

"You think?" Ammit rolled her eyes, "We past the right direction three times."

"Three times. Three times. Three times." Paffii chanted as he trotted along.

"Quit it!" Pao hissed.

"Neverrr! Three times. Three times. Three times. Three times."

"I'm going to hit you!"

Yugi made a loud, exhausted groan.

Okay.

So everyone was getting a little irritable now.

* * *

><p>After some tracking, White Mage noticed the colour of moving cloaks through the branches.<p>

"Is that them…?" He looked around the corner of the maze, spying the heroes at long last. "It's a good thing I found them, because they've been going the wrong way."

Grabbing the hedge's branches, he attempted to climb up to the top.

It took a few tries, but he finally did it with the help of his bewitched stone of light.

With a giggle, Mage took small steps across the hedge, careful not to fall.

* * *

><p>"Three times. Three times. Three times. Three times. Three times…" Paffii's chanting continued.<p>

"Oi, shut up!" Warrior stomped his feet on the ground, "My head hurts and you're only making it worse!"

"I'm not apologizing. Three times. Three times…"

"You know…" Ammit snickered, "I heard in some places, Jackals are a delicacy for their interesting taste."

That made Paffii stop.

"We owe you for that, Ammit." Magic Gunman and Magician laughed.

"Yes. Yes you do."

Pao snickered as Pokii gave a good pat on the head to the third monster.

"I-I just like saying it." Paffii huffed, defensively.

"Well, we don't like you saying it. Fifty times."

"YIEE-!"

The heroes blinked, turning around to see the mage on the ground, hugging his knees.

"That hurt! That really hurt! Ooowwwiiieee!"

White Mage had been so careful…

He really didn't see it coming when he fell.

The bewitched light slowly floated down beside him.

The heroes just stared at him. "Oh… Hey Mini 'Kura."

White Mage stopped crying for a second to look up at them. "…I-I found you!"

Beast Tamer helped the mage up to his feet with a sigh, "You were looking for us?"

"Well… You were going the wrong way…" Mage blushed, "So I'm going to take you to Akefia."

The heroes exchanged glances before nodding in approval.

"Okay, Mage Bakura. Get us out of this maze."

* * *

><p>Thief King lounged about, waiting for his mage to come back with those idiot heroes.<p>

He grinned when the white serpent appeared around him, and stroked his pet's neck. "It's not gonna be long now."

Diabound hissed, a slight smirk showing on its face.

"Looking forward to it, huh."

The serpent made another loud hiss, and the thief laughed. "Yeah, and after we're gonna have a party… Get Mage drunk again, go find some more suckers to enslave, stuff like that."

He rested his hands behind his head, coolly, "Yeah, it's gonna be great."

Diabound rested on the ground at the thief's feet, grinning as it waited for the heroes to come.

It was looking forward to the battle more than anyone else was.

* * *

><p>Ryou watched the events with his yami.<p>

So far, things were going just as Yami planned.

And Ryou was glad.

Of course, he hoped the battle wouldn't be too easy.

It would be boring if the Pharaoh didn't even try.

No victory is ever satisfying unless everyone gives their all.

He giggled, watching the mage walk along with his friends.

It reminded him of the last Dark RPG, when the heroes fought against Zorc...

When the mage had been first created.

Or, first given a soul, that is.

What memories.

And this time, the Pharaoh was going to lose.

"Say, Yami, what exactly are we going to do after we win...?" Ryou asked, curiously.

"Hm?" Yami blinked at the sudden question.

"Just wondering."

The darkness examined the dice, "Well, I'll be taking the puzzle, of course."

"Of course." Ryou laughed.

"Then, we won't have the Pharaoh to stop us, so we can go after the rest of the items. ...Other than that, whatever you'd like to do, Landlord."

The host burst into a violent blush, and Yami cackled.

Sometimes he thought he was too easily impressed.

* * *

><p>Magic really is the best thing ever.<p>

If it wasn't for Mage's spell, they'd have been lost for sure.

He decided to avoid the hedge, simply following the light.

He blinked when Beast Tamer poked him from behind. "Beast Tamer Yuugi?"

"Do you know what the battle's going to be like...?" Beast Tamer asked, wanting to know what was coming.

He didn't exactly get the answer he was expecting.

"No, I don't!"

Beast Tamer blinked, "You... Don't?"

White Mage shook his head, "I don't think Akefia plans out anything."

"He doesn't?"

"No, he doesn't."

The walk through the maze had a few different conversation...

Between giving game tips, Magic Gunman asking the mage about Ryou's favorite movie, and more arguments with the monsters, it felt like a long walk.

For a little bit White Mage simply ignored the heroes and followed the little light.

* * *

><p>White Mage smiled when the light stopped, darkening up and turning back into a stone, dropping at his feet.<p>

He picked it up, and seeing that it was still usable, placed the rock back into his inventory.

"We're here!" He pointed to the opening in the maze, and ran on out.

The heroes blinked.

* * *

><p>"Find them?" Thief King asked when the mage tackled his arm with a giggle.<p>

"Yes, I brought them!" White Mage exclaimed, cheerfully.

"Finally."

* * *

><p>Beast Tamer gulped, as Warrior rushed ahead, followed by the rest of the party.<p>

"Ammit..." Beast Tamer really was nervous now, "...Do you think I can win this?"

However, when he looked around, the Devourer was nowhere to be seen.

"...Yugi, are you coming?" Magician tilted her head, waiting for him.

Beast Tamer ran over to join her, "Yeah, thanks, Tea."

* * *

><p>"<em>Yami...<em>" Beast Tamer said through his mind-link, wanting nothing more than reassurance.

"_Partner?_" The Pharaoh answered almost instantly, as if he was just waiting for his host to call.

"_We... I hope we won't lose._"

"_Yugi... Don't say that. Don't even think that. We will win. There's no way we won't._"

Beast Tamer winced, "_Are you sure?_"

"_Yes! Yes, I'm sure! We can do anything, and we will. Just be careful._"

The Pharaoh's host gave a deep sigh, and smiled, "_Thanks._"

"_Anything for you, Partner._"

* * *

><p>So there they were.<p>

The Heroes of Monsley Kingdom stood side-by-side, in front of the evil King of Thieves, along with the White King.

"So, this is it." Thief King got up with a scoff, "Let's see how long you guys can live. Sound fun?"

"Bring it on." Warrior grumbled.

"Should we be really hard on the heroes...?" White Mage wondered.

"I say..." Thief King put his free hand on his hip, "Let's go all out on these suckers."

"Full out?"

"Full out."

Beast Tamer looked behind him, more nervous than anything.

It may have just been his imagination when he saw a serpent's tail blocking the maze's entrance.

"Thief King..." Beast Tamer got his courage together and stood strong with his friends, "We'll all put in a good fight."

"You'd better." Thief King smirked, "...Now, let's just cut the chat and get right to it."

"Okay!" The heroes got their weapons out.

When Diabound appeared, the heroes realized that the tail circled all around them.

Diabound looked down upon them from behind the Thief King, bearing its fangs with a grin.

And then the battle began.

* * *

><p>"Ready for this, Landlord?" Yami got the brainwashed dice ready.<p>

Ryou nodded, excitedly.

He was ready the moment the game started.

The Pharaoh gave a big sigh, and picked up his dice, "I suppose, after what the rest of the game was like, I can't expect this to be a fair fight."

"Oh, but promise that you'll do your best." Ryou was sure the Pharaoh would do that, anyway, but still.

"Don't worry about that."

"Good." Yami sneered, "Then why don't you go first?"

The Pharaoh looked over to Ryou, who giggled, "For this battle, you'll need a twenty or less."

"Twenty… Alright." The Pharaoh dropped the dice.

Sixteen.

"Not bad. First goes the gunman!"

* * *

><p>Diabound flung its tail up into the air, as an attempt to attack early.<p>

Luckily, the gunman was faster.

Magic Gunman swung around, letting lose a series of shots.

Diabound hissed, and its tail collapsed.

Thief King winced with a chuckle.

"Uh oh, that must have hurt." White Mage blinked.

"We're off to a good start!" Beast Tamer cheered.

* * *

><p>"Now..." Yami dropped his dice, "Diabound makes his first attack."<p>

Ryou giggled as the dice landed on a super critical.

Of course it wouldn't land on anything else.

These possessed dice could do anything...

Except fail.

They had only ever done that on his command.

* * *

><p>Recovering quickly, Diabound spun right into action.<p>

It lunged forward, moving in a similar way as a worm, and attacked each of the heroes.

The adventurers weren't expecting to lose so much health so quickly...

Well, nothing a little healing wouldn't do.

* * *

><p>"Ten hitpoints, just from one attack?" The Pharaoh blinked.<p>

"Well... You know, that's not as much damage as what other final bosses can do." Ryou had actually tried to make this fight easier, just to make it a little more fair.

"...I suppose you're right." The Pharaoh thought back to a game he and Yugi had played, with a boss that made nothing but one-hit kills.

Of course, he remembered thinking how much that boss reminded him of Bakura.

Go figure.

"Yugi's turn..." The Pharaoh dropped the dice.

Twelve.

"He's successful!" Ryou declared.

* * *

><p>"Are you okay, Master?" The monsters asked as Beast Tamer rubbed his head.<p>

"Yeah, I think so."

"Hmph..." Pao growled, turning to the white serpent, "I outta teach this guy a lesson!"

Pokii blinked as his partner took flight, "Wha? P-Pao, what are you doing?"

The heroes had to facepalm when Pao attempted to fly in for an attack...

Only to be captured in Diabound's tail.

Diabound hissed, slamming the monster on the ground.

"PAO!" Pokii screeched.

He and Paffii raced to the white serpent, grabbing onto its tail, trying to free their friend.

Diabound lifted its tail, along with the other two monsters, up in the air.

"Whaah, MASTERR!" Pokii and Paffii struggled to hang on.

"GUYS!" Beast Tamer gasped, and got ready to attack. "Training hand! Jet Stream Punch!"

A giant glove appeared over him, and zoomed towards the serpent.

Diabound hissed as the glove tackled its tail, pushing it to the ground, and freeing the monsters.

Pao escaped from its grasp, huffing and panting, "Why does that always happen?"

"Because you're an idiot!" Paffii answered with a cackle.

"Idiot? Why I outta-!"

Pokii sighed, tuning out his friends, "Thanks, Master."

Beast Tamer nodded, "Yeah."

* * *

><p>"Diabound's turn is next" Ryou stated.<p>

Yami grinned, plopping the dice down into his host's hand.

"...Oh?"

"I'll go next."

"I see!" Ryou smiled, dropping the dice.

Super critical.

* * *

><p>Diabound flailed its tail around, to rid itself from the shock of two attacks in the same spot.<p>

And then its whole body began to vibrate.

A blue flame surrounded it, and Diabound charged forward.

The heroes screamed, jumping out of its way.

* * *

><p>Thief King laughed, "Get 'em, Diabound! Ahaha!"<p>

"I didn't know Diabound could do that." White Mage pulled on the thief's arm. "...U-Up?"

With a bit of an odd grin, Akefia picked the mage up, who giggled. "Heh, there's a lot Diabound can do."

"There is?"

"Watch and learn."

* * *

><p>Diabound turned around, a dangerous look on its face.<p>

"Stay away from it!" Magic Gunman called to the party.

"Right, I think we figured that out already!" Warrior rolled his eyes.

"Someone had to say it!"

The white serpent charged forward once more, waving its tail around behind it, like the maniac monster it is.

The heroes jumped away once more, however, they weren't all so lucky.

"Ahh!" Magician fell to the ground, after being knocked over by the serpent's tail.

Diabound smirked, coiling its tail around its victim.

"Tea!" Beast Tamer gasped.

"Not againn!" Magician scowled, jabbing her staff into the monster's tail. "Let me go!"

Her efforts were in vain, as Diabound tightened its grasp suddenly, forcing all the air out of the Magician, along with a jolt of dark magic.

Magician let out a quick scream, and her staff fell out of her hands, landing not too far away from Beast Tamer.

* * *

><p>Ryou wasn't so sure if it was a good thing when he let out a small cackle.<p>

It was wrong of him to be laughing at his friend's pain...

Of course, it wasn't helping that Yami was also laughing.

"Oh, but Landlord!" Yami snickered, "You should feel free to laugh at something so amusing."

Can't argue with that logic.

Ryou allowed himself to let out another crazed laugh. "Hah! It's, erm... Yami Yugi's turn now. Keh, heh, hah, ha!"

By now, the Pharaoh had simply learned to ignore the constant laughter.

It truly was hard to believe that he was once like that.

Though he never told Yugi about half of his victims...

Yugi didn't need to know.

The Pharaoh picked up the dice, and dropped.

He blinked after seeing the die's outcome, and exclaimed out "Super critical!"

"...Super critical?" Ryou stopped laughing, "A powerful blow should save the Magician."

"Then that's just what I'll do." The Pharaoh said, proudly, "It's the magician's turn!"

* * *

><p>Diabound hissed as it choked the Magician with its tail.<p>

"Tea!" Beast Tamer looked around until he spotted her staff.

He ran over as fast as he could, snatching the staff and throwing it back to her.

With fingers crossed, he called "Tea, catch!"

Magician weakly looked up to see what was going on, and blinked as her staff flew right at her.

Panicking, she reached her arm out and managed to catch the staff.

"Whew... Thanks Yug-WHAAH?"

Diabound hissed, tightening its grip and raising the Magician into the air.

"Oh no you don't!" Magician raised her staff into the air, "Lightening combo!"

Thief King winced as three bolts of lightening came down from the sky, striking Diabound right in the head.

The White Serpent emitted a high screeched, letting go of the Magician, who landed without much trouble.

"Thanks, Yugi." She spun her staff around and posed for her small victory.

Beast Tamer smiled, "You're welcome!"

Diabound hissed, suffering the loss of one hundred hitpoints.

"Whoa... That was some attack." Magic Gunman blinked.

Magician snickered, "Well, I guess this apprentice magician has a lot to prove!"

The party laughed.

* * *

><p>"Nnng." Thief King held his forehead with his more free hand as a wave of dizziness hit him.<p>

"Are you affected, too?" White Mage tilted his head.

"Ugh... Just a little. No worries."

Mage rolled his eyes, taking his staff out.

Thief King laughed, "What, you've got magic to cure headaches now, too?"

White Mage huffed, and cast a healing spell over Diabound, returning him to full health.

The thief smirked, letting his head go, "...Nice."

Mage giggled, proud of himself, "There, everyone's happy now!"

"Well, everyone except the heroes."

"...Oh. Oops."

* * *

><p>The heroes got ready for trouble when Diabound got up, full health.<p>

"Uh oh!" Beast Tamer backed away.

"It looks angry..." Magic Gunman loaded his guns.

Beast Tamer gulped.

* * *

><p>"After an attack like that, how did it suddenly get to full health?" The Pharaoh exclaimed.<p>

Ryou giggled.

It was good to have a white wizard on his side.

"The dice, Landlord?" Yami put his hand out.

"Oh. Right." Ryou placed the dice into his darkness' hand. "Then it's my turn after?"

"That's right." The yami dropped the dice, getting the expected super critical.

* * *

><p>Diabound hissed in laughter, looking as if it had never been attacked.<p>

The White Serpent then lunged ahead, attacking each of the heroes and taking half of their remaining hitpoints.

Warrior grunted.

That damn mage probably did something.

Oh how he just wanted to go straight to killing the thief...

Though, the White Serpent was annoying him now, too.

If it hadn't just healed, it wouldn't take much longer to defeat it for good.

Well, it was his turn next...

And he Warrior was going to show this stupid jerk not to mess with him and his friends!

* * *

><p>"Now it's Joey's turn..." The Pharaoh took a deep breath before dropping the dice.<p>

He cursed loudly when the dice showed the worst possible outcome.

Ryou giggled.

Oh, the Pharaoh really did have a hot temper, didn't he?

He wondered how Yugi never saw it.

Yugi had always loved the Pharaoh for how kind he was...

Did he ever see the Pharaoh angry?

It wouldn't be long now until the poison would start taking its true effect...

The Pharaoh just stared down at the dice, his hands shaking in anger. "I really don't need this now..."

Call it bad luck when the Pharaoh managed to roll a fumble.

Ninety-nine.

Yami chuckled, quite amused with how the game was turning out. "Well, not only will the Warrior's attack fail, but he also suffers by his own stupid mistake. Well done, Pharaoh."

"Oh, shut up, Bakura!" The Pharaoh growled, "For all I know, you've probably planned this!"

Yami's amused expression didn't leave his face for a second. "What control do I have over _your_ dice?"

The Pharaoh winced, glancing over to the host.

Ryou gave a wink, and said nothing else.

* * *

><p>"I'm gonna end this stupid thing." Was all the Warrior could think.<p>

He was going to beat it.

And he would be the one to save the day.

"Grrh... Here I come!" He lifted his sword up into the air, and a red flame surrounded it.

"Joey, be careful!" Beast Tamer called from where he was, but was ignore as Warrior charged forward towards the white demon.

Warrior jumped up into the air behind Diabound, planning to just cut its head off.

His plan soon went south when Diabound twitched to face him.

It slapped the warrior right out of the air with its tail.

The Warrior lost grip of his sword, which went up into the air, as he was slammed down onto the ground.

And then the sword fell on him, taking his arm.

* * *

><p>The loud scream could be heard even from the real world, as the Pharaoh stared down in horror.<p>

Ryou pouted.

In a world where everything is decided by the dice, he was surprised that losing an arm was the only thing that happened.

It was actually disappointing.

Some game masters use fumbles as instant kills in their games.

But Ryou was never so cheep.

Something like a fumble in his world never brought death...

Though shouldn't it do more than just a missing arm?

* * *

><p>"Joey!" The heroes ran to their foolish friend.<p>

"What the heck was _that_?" Pao kicked the sand.

Warrior bit his lip, too angry to say anything.

All he knew was that he must have looked like an idiot.

* * *

><p>"That really looked like it hurt..." White Mage still felt sorry for his enemies.<p>

Well, they were Master's friends.

Of course he didn't really want to hurt them.

Thief King grinned, "Well... Looks like it's our turn."

"Our turn?"

"Let's go!" The King of Thieves put his mage down before running off.

White Mage blinked before following, "...Wait for me!"

* * *

><p>As the heroes helped their friend up to his feet, they were greeted by the evil Thief King.<p>

"Having fun?" Thief King snickered, with Diabound laughing with him.

"Thief King!" Warrior muttered.

"The one and only."

"...And I'm here, too!" White Mage cried, finally catching up with the thief.

"Took ya long enough, Mage."

"You run too fast!"

"Cut back on the grapes?"

"..."

* * *

><p>"And the Thief King finally shows up, himself." The Pharaoh had been wondering when he would get to fight the actual thief.<p>

"Here you are, Landlord." Yami gave the dice back to his host.

Ryou took them happily, dropping the dice with a grin.

* * *

><p>"Grrrh..." Warrior could barely stand to look at the man.<p>

Thief King sent a side glance to the warrior and grinned, "Well, well. You're still as stupid as ever. I mean, did you really think that _you_ could beat Diabound in one move?"

"Shut up!" Warrior snapped, "I know for sure I can beat you!"

"Oh really? Isn't that what you always say?" The thief smirked, cruelly, "And every time you just hurt yourself."

Only having one hand didn't stop the warrior from going right into action.

"J-Joey!" Beast Tamer gasped as the warrior swung his sword with one hand, charging right at the thief.

Thief King shrugged, "He never learns, does he?"

The warrior couldn't even touch the thief before Akefia somehow got behind him, slicing a thin cut through his back.

The heroes gasped and the Warrior coughed violently, even spitting out a bit of blood, along with an odd black liquid, before falling to his knees.

"JOEY!" Beast Tamer ran over.

He stopped when the Thief pointed his blade right at his throat. "Wanna be next?"

White Mage tilted his head when he noticed something, looking down at the Warrior's blood.

That wasn't just blood.

He could see a thick black liquid floating around in the blood, acting similar to oil and water.

"Is that...?"

And if anyone really had to ask, he didn't like the feeling it gave him at all.

"...What are you looking at?" Warrior glared up at him with a cough.

"Are... Are you burning inside?" The mage's sudden question seemed strange.

Warrior said nothing, but his eyes widened in a painful realization.

And with that, White Mage helped the warrior up to his feet, taking his remaining hand, and pulled him back to the other heroes.

Thief King and Beast Tamer blinked when the two ran right past them.

"...Mage Bakura?" Magic Gunman blinked as the mage pushed the slowly-dying hero into him.

White Mage didn't bother saying anything to them, and ran back to the thief, hugging his arm. "I don't think this is fair. They're already going to die."

Thief King cackled loudly, "Well, then let's put them out of their misery, already."

* * *

><p>The Pharaoh twitched.<p>

The thief really was powerful for someone who just stood on the sidelines for the whole game...

He had to win this.

Somehow.

He was going to win.

Somehow.

Ryou glanced over to the Pharaoh.

The way Yugi's yami was looking almost had him worried.

Was it possible that the poison was affecting him, too?

"I think we're getting to him." Yami snickered.

Ryou giggled, "Yes, we are."

The Pharaoh picked up the dice, dropping them in a lazy manner.

Nineteen.

He just wasn't having very much luck, was he?

* * *

><p>It was the Magic Gunman's turn.<p>

Magician helped the warrior stand while he took off in his attack.

Thief King wasn't worried.

Why would he be?

The Magic Gunman ran forward, ready to unleash the power of his bullets, when a burst of dizziness hit him out of nowhere.

He lost his balance, turning around and shooting at his own party.

The heroes cried as the unexpected attack went right through them, taking away a surprising amount of their remaining hitpoints.

* * *

><p>"Yugi!" The Pharaoh's eyes twitched wide open.<p>

Yami had to say, he was loving the stressed, hysterical look on the Pharaoh's face.

"Your turn!" Ryou smiled as Yami took his dice back.

"I have to say, this will be the quickest battle we've had." The darkness dropped he dice down, "Your poison may even be unnecessary."

"But it is helping, right?"

"Heh, of course it is."

* * *

><p>Thief King let out a wicked laugh, "Whoa, you guys must have some pretty bad karma."<p>

"That's Master's poison that's making them like that!" White Mage pointed out.

Beast Tamer winced as a violent cough came over him, "...P-Poison?"

Thief King grinned, "That's right. If we're not the ones to end you... Ryou's got a nice, painful fate planned out just for you."

The heroes exchanged glances, "...Bakura poisoned us?"

"Right. So think of this as a favor, when we kill you before Ryou does!"

Thief King ran forward, slicing each of the heroes as he ran past.

The heroes lost a great amount of hitpoints, bleeding out the same, black liquid.

* * *

><p>The Pharaoh winced.<p>

Of course Bakura's host wouldn't be any better.

He dropped the dice, getting a seventeen.

* * *

><p>The Warrior honestly couldn't believe this was happening.<p>

He was so sure he'd win...

And never mind his back, his head hurt like heck.

Just who did Bakura think he was?

It was his turn to attack...

But something was stopping him.

Warrior blinked when he realized he couldn't move.

"Master's just being a bully now..." White Mage blinked, watching the Warrior struggle to move.

"He almost doesn't need us to be bullies for him." Thief King snickered.

* * *

><p>"Because of his stat problem, the Warrior is unable to move and misses this turn." Ryou went on telling the Pharaoh, who was looking like a complete mess by now.<p>

He was waiting for the Pharaoh to burst out in a fit, or at least say something, but he never did.

The pharaoh just looked at him, his eyes filled with angry and annoyance.

Ryou sighed.

Well, hopefully they would win soon so he wouldn't have to look at the Pharaoh's eyes anymore.

Taking the dice from Yami, he dropped it, wanting nothing more than to end one of the heroes in this turn.

And that's just what he was going to do.

* * *

><p>"Master's feeling really weird..." White Mage could feel Ryou's intentions, just by the roll of the dice.<p>

The King of Thieves smirked. "What's so bad about that? I just got a whole new wave of power! And now..."

He made his way over to the Warrior, "You're a mess."

Warrior glared up at him, hatefully.

How come he was the one who always got in trouble?

This whole game was just out to get him.

Another laugh from the thief, "...You really are a worthless idiot, aren't you?"

"I hate you. A lot." Warrior managed to say.

"Good, then that makes killing you even better!"

"What-?"

Thief King managed to catch the Warrior by surprise, sticking his sword right through the pawn's body.

* * *

><p>"JOEY!"<p>

Ryou smiled, looking over to the laptop screen.

The warrior's remaining hitpoints seemed to drain away instantly...

Which could only mean one thing.

Joey was dead.

Did Ryou feel bad about killing his friends?

Of course he did...

The Pharaoh burst into rage. "YOU... KILLED JOEY."

Yami grinned as his host giggled.

"Wha-What's so funny?"

Ryou regretted killing his friends, but loved that he made the Pharaoh this angry.

What better motive is there?

"You know," Ryou made an evil smile, "I bet we can win in one turn."

The Pharaoh hesitated, staring at the host. "H-How... Can you be so sure of that?"

Ryou snickered, placing a finger over his lips, "Oh, I just know."

Yami had never been so proud of his host until now.

* * *

><p>Beast Tamer could only watch his friend's body fall to the ground, in horror.<p>

This was the one thing he was afraid of.

Paffii was already hiding, not wanting to see what was happening.

"Pokii, let's get outta here!" Pao pulled at his partner's arm.

"Pao, what about Master?"

Pao hated the feeling of not being able to do anything... "Let's just go!"

Beast Tamer didn't even notice the monsters join each other in hiding.

"Y-You..." Magic Gunman couldn't even believe what he just saw. "You're unforgivable!"

"Unbelievable?" White Mage thought of how close the two words sounded in his head.

The thief made a loud, evil laugh. "Oh, don't be so dramatic! You'll be seeing your friend soon enough."

"I don't think so!" The Magic Gunman didn't care if it wasn't his turn.

Guns in hand, he jumped right into action.

And he would have gotten the thief...

But another wave of dizziness hit.

The Magic Gunman fell to the ground, at the thief's feet.

White Mage gulped, "Uhm... Akefia?"

"Heh... And you're next."

Thief King jabbed his sword down into his second victim's stomach.

Magic Gunman made a loud, angered wail, along with his own series of cough.

"TRISTAN!" By now, poor Beast Tamer was practically having a heart attack.

Joey, and now Tristan...

Why, oh why?

White Mage had to admit, he felt a little sick watching Akefia twist his sword around in the Magic Gunman's insides.

"...Stop being so violent!"

"Nah."

"Please?"

"Nope."

"You're a jerk!"

"A jerk with a sword."

"That's even worse!"

* * *

><p>One more down.<p>

All in one turn!

...Wait, how does that even work?

Tristan's hitpoints seemed to just go down the drain.

"Tristan..." The Pharaoh growled under his breath.

Yami grinned, "Your turn, Pharaoh."

The Pharaoh didn't say anything in response, but it was easy to tell how angry he really was.

He grew even more frustrated when he dropped the dice, getting a fumble.

He... He really wasn't going to get a break, was he?

"What a shame." Yami shrugged.

* * *

><p>It was Magician's turn.<p>

It wasn't the poison that had her unable to move...

It was fear.

She waited a moment before stepping forward.

"T-Tea..." Beast Tamer grabbed her hand, shaking his head hysterically.

"I'm going to use my most powerful attack." Magician assured him.

Beast Tamer wasn't convinced, but failed to do anything before she went ahead.

Magician was lucky that she managed to catch the thief by surprise.

"Apprentice Special Attack!"

A bolt of energy burst out from her staff, and was sent right at the thief.

"Hm?" Thief King stopped messing with the Magic Gunman's body not a moment too soon.

But he wasn't fast enough to see the attack coming.

"Akefia, Magician's attacking!"

It was a good thing that the mage was faster.

"Shining Shield!" White Mage raised his staff up, creating a magic barrier, protecting himself and the Thief King.

The attack bounced right off of the force field, and was sent back, sending Magician flying.

"TEA!"

Thief King laughed, patting the mage on the head, "Lucky me that I've got a white wiz with me! And it looks like that was a pretty powerful attack."

It was almost disappointing that he didn't even need to kill her, himself.

And with only a matter of seconds, the Magician stopped moving.

* * *

><p>Ryou watched as Tea's hitpoints landed on a zero, after her own attack.<p>

This just left Yugi...

He actually really didn't want Yugi to die...

Of course, after killing the rest of his friends in only one turn, who was he to have a change of heart?

"Yami...?"

Yami hid a scowl, and covered it over when he took a strand of his host's hair, curling it around his finger, "Only one more fool to get rid of, Landlord. Afterward, I think I should find a way to _reward_ you..."

Ryou stopped before he even began his question.

Blushing, he looked back over to the Pharaoh, who's whole form was shaking from many different things.

Pure rage...

Pure fear.

"I believe it's my turn..." Yami took the dice, dropping them.

Super critical.

"NO!" The Pharaoh exclaimed at the top of his lungs.

An devilish grin spread over Yami's face, with the joy of knowing he was finally about to murder the Pharaoh's beloved vessel...

And to put an end to the Pharaoh once and for all.

"And with this, I'll end the game."

* * *

><p>Beast Tamer looked around.<p>

He...

He was all alone, wasn't he?

Thief King kicked the Magician's body out the way, before looking down upon the last hero. "Well, I guess you're in trouble, then."

Beast Tamer shook his head, sobbing. "Joey... Tristan... Tea..."

The thief blinked.

Wow.

This guy was even more dependent of 'friends' than Ryou was.

"Hey, man up." Thief King put his hands on his hips, "You're going to die no matter what, so at least _try_ not to die a babbling moron."

White Mage winced, "You're giving him a prep talk before killing him?"

"It had to be done."

* * *

><p>In the real world, the Pharaoh slammed down on the table repeating, "YUGI! GET OUT OF THERE! DON'T BOTHER WITH THE BATTLE, I'LL GET YOU OUT MYSELF! JUST GET AWAY!"<p>

* * *

><p>Beast Tamer looked up at the two villains. "Is there any way to save my friends?"<p>

White Mage thought to himself, "...Not right now."

Thief King scowled, "We're not helping him, Mage."

Mage ignored him, and took the hero's hand with a giggle, "You're Master's best friend, you know!"

Beast Tamer smiled, "Bakura's my friend, too."

* * *

><p>Ryou blinked.<p>

Yami hadn't been paying much attention to the mage, but glared down on the little pawn...

* * *

><p>"So... You'll forgive Master for murdering you, right?"<p>

That sounded like such an odd question...

Of course...

Ryou had always been his friend.

Beast Tamer didn't have to think too long about his answer. "I just forgave him right now!"

White Mage smiled, "Good, now I won't feel bad about killing you!"

He give his Master's friend a quick hug before running behind the thief.

* * *

><p>...Yugi wasn't angry at him?<p>

Not after all that had happened?

Ryou put his attention back on the pharaoh when he noticed that Yami was looking at him.

* * *

><p>Thief King made a small pout.<p>

What's with all this happiness at a time like this?

"Man, I can't even come up with something entertaining."

He'd just have to do something boring.

Beast Tamer didn't even notice when Diabound appeared behind him...

* * *

><p>Yami nearly forgot about the mage when the Pharaoh went into hysterics.<p>

"YUGI, NO, GET AWAY-"

* * *

><p>A quick squeak came out from the Beast Tamer, moments before the White Serpent attacked and tore the pawn into half.<p>

The pieces of the once-body fell to the ground, and Diabound disappeared back to the thief.

And that was that.

* * *

><p>Ryou didn't need to look at the computer to know that the heroes were all gone.<p>

He and Yami didn't need the computer to know that the Pharaoh was finished.

The Pharaoh stopped cold.

He had always needed Yugi to live...

In more ways than one.

Yugi was dead.

And now...

There was only one more thing he could do.

The Pharaoh looked over to Yami, eyes full of hate for the other being of darkness.

"I will never accept defeat to you, Bakura." He said, his voice shook in bitterness.

"Then don't bother." Yami simply gave his trademark smirk, "Good-bye Pharaoh."

The Pharaoh gave one last hiss, and disappeared from his host.

And then the now empty vessel tumbled out form the chair...

Laying on the ground, dead.

* * *

><p>The thief and mage stared down at the hero's bodies for a while.<p>

"Ya know..." Akefia finally said, "This feels pretty good!"

White Mage tilted his head, "...It does?"

"Yeah!"

Akefia made a loud laugh, grabbing the mage's hand and pulling him with, back inside the palace, "Come on, let's get going!"

Mage giggled, "Yay!"

* * *

><p>Once it was just the hero's bodies in the garden, the monsters came out of hiding.<p>

They weren't exactly pleased with themselves...

But why would they be?

Ammit appeared, lounging in front of the fallen Beast Tamer.

"Ammit..." Pokii mumbled.

The devourer ignored them, frowning to herself, "Annoying... For some reason, even when Yugi is dead, I still can't take his heart."

The monsters exchanged glances.

* * *

><p>After control over his body was given back, and getting the news out of the hero's deaths back at the palace, Ryou happily took the thief and mage's pawns out of the game world.<p>

The two spirits left the pawn hosts right away, and Thief King cackled, proudly.

"That was the best thing ever! Ahaha! It's almost a shame that it's over!"

White Mage giggled, hugging his master's arm, "I'm just glad you're safe!"

Ryou patted the mage on the head, "I told you I would be extra careful, didn't I?"

"You did!"

Thief King pulled the mage off of Ryou, picking him up.

"Akefia!" White Mage cheered, happily.

"Alleluia! That stupid pharaoh's finally dead! Hehehe!"

Ryou looked over to Yami, who stood smirking down at the vessel once belonging to the pharaoh.

The host smiled and joined his darkness. "I really enjoyed that, Yami."

Yami kneeled down beside the courpse, removing the Millennium Puzzle.

The spirit placed the puzzle into his host's hands, "Yes, Landlord. I must say, that really was quite an enjoyable game, don't you think?"

Yami walked on past Ryou, his smirk never leaving his face.

"Thief."

Thief King blinked, setting the mage down. "Yeah?"

"I think now would be a good time for us to have a little talk." Yami said before going off into the kitchen.

The thief shrugged, following his other self.

Now was as good of a time as ever.

"Talk...?" White Mage wasn't sure if he wanted to know just what Akefia and the Dark Game Master were planning.

* * *

><p>Ryou examined the puzzle in his hands.<p>

This was Yugi's puzzle...

He remembered what Yugi had said, and smiled.

The host turned to the mage, "White Mage... I need your help."


	17. Will Yami Approve Of My Plan?

_"White Mage... I need your help."_

* * *

><p>"So, the rod's gonna be at the Pharaoh's place, right?" Thief King Bakura leaned against the kitchen wall.<p>

Now that the Pharaoh was finally gone, the vessel's body still lying in the game room, they could focus on getting the rest of the items.

"I'd suspect so." Yami Bakura answered; thinking back to what Marik had told him.

It was that idiotic tombkeeper who gave it to the Pharaoh.

Not that it mattered now.

The pharaoh was gone, and so was his "friends".

Who was there left to worry about?

The vessel's _grandfather_?

Ha!

While Yami cackled to himself, Thief King went over, looking through all the cupboards.

"I suspect that the necklace will be with the rod, so once that's done we'll have four of the items, and... What are you doing?"

"Don't tell me Ryou doesn't have any wine..."

"Would it kill you to listen for a second?"

"Maybe."

* * *

><p>Ryou Bakura peeked his head into the kitchen.<p>

After speaking with the mage, he had been wondering what the other two spirits were up to.

Though he already knew the answer.

"...Hey, Ryou, got any wine?" Was the first thing he heard.

"Wine?"

Yami rolled his eyes, "Ignore him, Landlord."

"No, don't ignore me, I need wine!"

Ryou giggled and sat down at the table. "So, other than Yugi, there's just… Shadi, right? With items?"

"That's right." The darkness answered.

"Ya didn't answer my question!"

"...Sorry, I don't have any wine. I don't drink."

"Never too late to start."

* * *

><p>While the others went on with their plot, White Mage Bakura had stayed behind in the game room.<p>

His Master's plan ran through his head over and over…

It was a simple and straightforward plan, but he knew it would take a lot of energy.

And… What would happen if Yami found out?

Surely Master had a plan for that, too.

Master couldn't hide things from the Dark Game Master.

White Mage knew that, and it angered him to no end.

But Master had a plan, right?

Of course he did!

White Mage hummed a tune as he worked.

Sitting the bodies of his Master's friends up right, and in a row along the wall.

After that, he cleaned around the models.

When he finished, the mage went off to see what was going on with the others.

* * *

><p>"It could be tough to find Shadi…" Ryou thought, "He doesn't exactly appear when you need him."<p>

"He'll come when he senses what has happened to the Pharaoh."

"Maybe…"

Thief King threw in the odd comment and suggestion.

"Hey, Mage." He yawned as the mage walked in.

White Mage smiled, "Hi Akefia. …What is going on?"

"Scheming to destroy the world, things like that." Ryou giggled.

"Oh, okay." The Pawn Spirit took some bread out of the fridge.

He took out different things, such as cheese and lettuce to make a sandwich with.

It wasn't as if his Master had eaten supper.

"Hey, make me a sandwich, too." Thief King laughed.

"You don't eat sandwiches."

"So? Do it anyway."

"No!"

* * *

><p>And so, pretty soon, the host and three spirits sat around the table.<p>

They weren't necessarily plotting.

Now they were chatting and laughing, telling about their favorite parts of the game.

"Well, there was the time those goblins were complaining… And the time I enslaved a bunch of rats."

"I sort of liked that party." White Mage swung his legs, sitting on the thief's lap.

Ryou happily ate his late-dinner, while listening to everyone's stories.

"And what about you, Landlord?"

The host blinked, "Hm? What I liked?"

"Yes."

Ryou had to think for a minute.

He liked the whole thing.

He was quite proud of the plotline, and thought the model of Egypt served its purpose well.

He thought the RPG's ending could have been much better.

Of course, by the time the final boss came around, Yami wasn't really in the mood to play by the story.

"I suppose I liked being the Dark Master. Watching events happen on the model, and being able to control it if I want."

White Mage tilted his head, "That's what you like, Master?"

"…Yes, I think it is."

Thief King gave the mage a pat on the head, with a snicker, "Well, we could keep Ryou amused for hours, right Mage?"

"Uhm, right."

Ryou had a quick laugh before Yami got up from his seat, tapping him on the shoulder.

"Landlord, I'd like to have a word with you."

"Hm? Oh, alright, Yami."

White Mage blinked when Ryou left with the evil spirit. "…Why are Master and the Dark Game Master leaving?"

"Who cares?" Thief King stretched his arms up with a yawn and laughed.

* * *

><p>Ryou sat down on the couch, hugging his legs.<p>

Although he wanted to put his plan into action as soon as possible, he was tired.

He hadn't slept at all.

Yami sat down beside him, a grin on his face, "You know, I have to say I'm quite proud of you."

"…Proud?"

Of what?

The darkness didn't answer, snickering, "I'll leave that up to you to decide."

"Of course." Ryou laughed.

* * *

><p>In truth, Yami had gotten to see the side of his host that he had wanted to see for the longest time during the game.<p>

A side that he always knew existed, but it never showed.

Even as a child, Ryou had always been so quiet.

Often doing whatever it took so those mortals would accept him.

Never letting his darker emotions show.

He wanted friends so desperately, that he ignored what he really needed.

During the game, Yami did see that side.

It wasn't as strong as he would have wanted, but it was there.

Even if it only appeared for a second, it was there.

And Yami had never been happier.

* * *

><p>"Yami?"<p>

"Hm?"

Ryou took a second to think of a way to ask his question without being too suspicious. "How… Different is the relationship of the puzzle and Yugi, compared to the ring?"

Yami sent a side-glance to the boy.

He knew that his host was up to something.

"Don't bother trying to keep secrets." The spirit muttered.

Ryou winced, "Secrets?"

"Yes... There is a thought that has been flowing constantly through your mind since the game ended. And you've blocked it from my reach."

The host was silent...

And obviously Yami knew what he was talking about.

Ryou was quiet at first, and his voice became more bold as he spoke, "Yes, I have blocked a thought from you. I do know what I'm doing, and I don't need you stopping me."

"Is that so?"

"...Yes, Yami."

Yami didn't need to ask to have an idea of what his host was planning.

Knowing his Landlord, it was obvious.

The question was...

How different is this from all the other times?

Ryou watched his yami, praying for a reaction that would end in his favor.

A chill was sent down his spine when the darkness made a smirk, and then laughed.

"Fine, I'll let you win. I won't be getting in the way of your _big_plan..."

Ryou blinked, "You... Won't be? Really, Yami?"

"Just on one condition..."

What?

Condition?

The host was expecting some kind of threat, or statement...

What he wasn't expecting was the spirit pulling him into a sudden kiss.

Nevertheless, it was a long, welcomed kiss.

Ryou blushed as the darkness stopped, and spoke into his ear, "Don't go doing something you'll _regret_, Landlord."

"...Regret?"

Yami smirked, kissing his Landlord once more before getting up, "To answer your question... The vessel is dead. The Pharaoh is in the puzzle, not the host. If the host was brought back, the Pharaoh wouldn't awaken unless he was connected to his vessel, which he isn't."

A chuckle, "So, shall you be getting some rest tonight, or are you thinking 'why bother'?"

Ryou giggled, still blushing, "I'll do it tonight. Thank-you, Yami."

And then the spirit disappeared.

* * *

><p>"White Mage." Ryou went into the kitchen, signaling the Pawn Spirit to come over.<p>

Mage pulled at the thief's sleeve after getting the message, "Lemme go, Akefia."

"What, why?"

"Just lemme go!"

Ryou laughed, "Thief King, if you don't mind, could you stay in your soul room for a little while?"

Thief King glanced at the host, suspiciously. "And if I don't want to?"

"Well, there's something White Mage and I have to do."

"And I gotta go, because?"

White Mage kicked the thief's knee in a huff, "It's important, and just between me and Master!"

"Whatever."

The mage slid off and Thief King got up with a scowl.

"Sorry." Ryou apologized with a nervous laugh.

"You know you're not."

"…W-Well, you may be right about that."

Akefia chuckled, disappearing and leaving the two to their plan.

White Mage waved to the vanishing spirit and turned to the host. "Ready, Master?"

The white haired host giggled and nodded, "Yes, let's get it done as soon as possible. I wouldn't mind getting _some_sleep tonight."

Ryou assured the mage that no one was watching, and then they made their way to the game room.

* * *

><p>"Are you sure nobody's watching us?" White Mage took his clay host off from the shelf.<p>

"Mhm, positive."

The mage glanced over at him with an unsure look.

Ryou laughed nervously, scratching the back of his head.

"Well… Okay, if you say so, Master."

"Whew."

It didn't matter if anyone was…

Though Ryou wouldn't deny that he knew Yami would be watching.

But Yami said that he wouldn't interfere.

And he had never lied to Ryou before.

He had only ever stretched the truth.

Not the same as lying.

"You remember what I want you to do, right?"

"I wouldn't forget Master, you didn't tell me too long ago!"

"Oh… I suppose you're right."

White Mage possessed the pawn and Ryou picked him up, placing him back into the game world.

"Well," The host lifted up the ring with a huff, "I shall wish myself good luck, then."

A smile came over him, and he kissed the ring before putting his attention to the game world.

* * *

><p>White Mage slowly made his way to the palace gardens, looking around.<p>

Oh…

The hero's pawns weren't there anymore.

"W-Where did they…?"

"The servants took them a little while ago."

Mage blinked, and looked behind the maze's entrance.

Huhhh?

Laying down on the ground was none other than the three monsters who had assisted the heroes.

Had they been there the whole time?

"Why are you still here?"

Pao hissed, "Well, that's a rude question to ask!"

"Oh… I'm sorry!" The three monsters had caught White Mage completely off guard.

"Yeah, you should be sorry after all that." Paffii scowled, "No thanks to you, our masters are gone!"

"And it turns out, Ammit didn't even want to help us get them back…" Pokii said, sadly.

"She followed those servants in when they took the bodies!" Pao fumed, punching the air.

White Mage gulped.

It looked like this was going to be a little harder than he thought…

But no matter what…

He _would_find the hero's bodies in the next hour, so that Master could sleep.

It was almost three in the morning, after all.

"I'm really sorry," White Mage sat down on the ground beside them, "And I'll help, I promise."

"You? Help?" Pao and Paffii glared up to him, while Pokii glanced around.

"He could help us…"

"Wha?"

White Mage smiled as the balloon monster sided with him.

"My Master needs me to get the heroes' bodies together, so we can bring them back."

The other two monsters tilted their heads, "You're going to revive them?"

"Yes! I think we can all look."

The monsters each took a moment to discuss the idea with each other.

After only a second, they turned back to the mage.

"Yeah, we'll go with you, and help save our masters!" Pao grinned.

White Mage giggled, "Good, I'm glad."

* * *

><p>As the odd group of pawns made their way through the palace halls, they looked everywhere for the fallen heroes.<p>

"Excuse me?" White Mage tugged on a servant's arm, getting her attention.

The servant blinked, looking down on the White King with three small monsters.

"We're looking for the Heroes of Monsley Kingdom!" Paffii joined in.

"The heroes...?" The servant thought, and then laughed, "Oh those heroes."

"Do you know where they are?"

"Getting closer, your majesty." She laughed once more before running down the hall and leaving the group.

"We're close? That's great!" Paffii grinned.

White Mage glanced back to the servant, "I wonder what was so funny."

Had he missed something?

* * *

><p>The pawns continued down the hall, looking into every room and asking every servant they saw.<p>

One thing was for sure; they all seemed rather giddy when asked about the heroes.

"I hope Master's friends are okay..."

Well, as okay as a group of corpses could be.

The question was, were they still together?

* * *

><p>It didn't take as long as Mage thought when the monsters came across a door leading to a small, dark room.<p>

"White King, over here!" Pokii called over to the mage, while trying to get a good view into the room.

"You found them…?"

"Well, it's hard to see anything. It looks like there's a mess all over the floor..."

White Mage joined the monsters in pushing the door open, until they fell onto the ground. "Oof!"

"Is there a candle we can light or something?"

"Think I found one."

Pao flew over to a candle hanging on the wall, and sent flame to it within seconds.

The pawns gasped the moment their eyes adjusted to the light.

The pieces of the heroes' bodies looked as if they had been thrown carelessly on the ground without any mercy.

Obviously Akefia had taken the time to make sure that the heroes couldn't come back.

At first glance, it would seem impossible to revive any of them.

It shouldn't be impossible…

It would just mean Mage would have to use more of his magic than he had first planned.

"Wh-Whoa…" The monsters seemed to be at a lost of words.

"What kind of psychopath would do this?"

White Mage blushed, a part of him wishing that he had no part in the murder, "That's Akefia for you."

The monsters ran off into the pile of severed limbs, picking out all of the parts they recognized as belonging to their master.

"Oh… This finger belonged to Master."

"And I found the Warrior's foot!"

"You know, now that I think about it the Magician is actually kinda pretty."

White Mage looked around the room for a sack or at least something to put the parts into.

The less time they spent in this room, the better.

For all he knew, this was just the Dark Game Master purposely making things harder for him.

In fact, he wouldn't doubt it.

Even if Master said otherwise.

"How are we going to put them together again?" Pokii sighed.

"Well, the White King's got a spell for that, right?" Pao pointed over to the mage, who forced a sheepish grin.

"I hope so."

The monsters stopped what they were doing when they heard a low chuckle.

"…Who's there?" White Mage blinked.

Though the monsters already knew.

"Ammit, why are you still here?" Pokii called out.

The devourer sat down on a long, golden seat, and purred a deep sigh, "No matter what I do, I just can't get his heart."

Paffii snorted, "You're still after Master's heart? You couldn't get it the first time, you shouldn't expect to get it now."

"And so I've been waiting for you."

The pawns exchanged glances, and Pokii spoke out, "Waiting for us?"

Ammit purred once more, standing up and walking towards them, "I wouldn't mind playing one last game before I have to go."

"One last game?" White Mage didn't like the look of things.

And he thought he could just find the heroes and leave.

"Do your worst, we'll win no matter what!" Pao crossed his arms, coolly.

The other monsters joined in, "Yeah, we'll win to save our master!"

Mage let out a quiet sigh.

Ammit smiled, "So you will play my game… What a happy day! Just one last, easy game before I go..."

The devourer stepped back, and the heroes' body parts flew into the air.

Though now the finer details of the murder seemed to disappear; there were four apparent parts of each body.

_Head._

Torso.

Arms.

Legs.

"The rules are simple. Build the bodies… And this is an easy game. All you really need is to remember what they look like."

"Yeah, that seems pretty easy!" Pokii said.

"W-Wait," Paffii waved a paw in the air, "It's not like we paid that much attention to our master's appearance!"

Ammit sighed, "Well, it doesn't make much sense to put all this effort into saving someone who you don't know… Every last detail."

The monsters shifted at their feet, not necessarily disagreeing with her.

White Mage made a quick huff.

He didn't have time for this.

"Miss Devourer, I could probably play your game." He exclaimed and the monsters looked at him.

"What could you possibly know about our Master?"

The mage rubbed his head with a nervous laugh, "I've, uh, seen pictures from my master."

* * *

><p>Ryou loved his friends… Especially Yugi.<p>

He had actually made a few different pawns for him.

All of them were different in some way or another.

Showing any different sides of him…

Mage had even seen a few photos of the boy with tri-coloured hair.

Ryou had told White Mage many things about Yugi.

During their little on-the-spot RPG a week ago, Ryou was telling the mage about how he had met the Pharaoh's host…

And just what happened for him to earn Ryou's admiration.

_"Sometimes I think that meeting Yugi may have been the best thing that ever happened to me."_

But the mage's Master had been lying that day, hadn't he?

* * *

><p>"Very well." Ammit sneered in a way that could only rival Yami, "Are ya ready, White King?"<p>

"I'm, uh, ready!"

Pao scoffed, sitting down, "No pressure, but we'll kill you if you mess up."

Mage made another nervous laugh.

* * *

><p>What was taking White Mage so long?<p>

It had been a whole half hour now…

Ryou sighed, sitting down against the wall.

He couldn't do much to help if the players were dead.

Oh, why did he have to bother with this at all?

He could be sleeping if it wasn't for…

No, that wasn't any way to think.

He had to do something to save his friends.

Even after the way he had acted, he couldn't do nothing.

Ooh, he felt so useless right now.

Another yawn.

"Hey."

Ryou jumped when he heard his name. "A-Ah, Thief King?"

Thief King stood at the doorway, arms crossed, "What's with you?"

"'M just tired."

Akefia glanced around, "Don't tell me. You're doing some crazed experiment on the bodies, aren't ya?"

"S-Something like that."

The king of thieves knew there was something about this he didn't like.

"Hey, seen Mage anywhere?"

Ryou felt a sudden jolt in his spine and a defensive "NO" spat out of his mouth.

He blushed after noticing the thief grin.

"I don't buy it. What kind of mission did ya send him on this late at night?"

"You know he's in the game world?"

A shrug, "Well, where else would he be?"

"Oh…"

That was a good point.

But Thief King would be angry if he knew just what Ryou was planning…

Ryou knew this.

Though, then again…

Was there a chance he would be as forgiving as Yami, if not more?

"_Well?_"

"He… -I told him to find the heroes."

Akefia raised an eyebrow at the host's words.

The spirit walked on past Ryou, picking up his pawn.

"Akefia?"

"Put me in there, would ya?"

The host winced, hugging onto his arm, "What are you going to do?"

"Just hurry up and get me in!"

Not seeing much point in starting a fight, Akefia possessed the pawn and Ryou placed him down into the game world.

The landlord sat down with a sigh, and a yawn soon following.

* * *

><p>"Let's begin…"<p>

The different sets of body sunk down into the ground, creating a mix and match sort of game board.

Twenty four tiles in all.

White Mage blinked.

Didn't Master have this game in his soul room?

Oh…

But he had a terrible memory.

"W-What happens if I make a mistake?" He stuttered.

"I'll leave you to be surprised." Ammit winked to him, making him stutter with a shudder.

"_Game start!_"

The different set pieces of body parts appeared as tiles.

They stayed the way they were for a moment and then sunk back into the ground…

Reappearing face down, rearranged completely.

"Here I go…" White Mage took a deep breath, "Open the tile on the left!"

Said tile turned over, reveling someone's left arm.

"That kinda looks like a girl's arm." He said, bluntly.

The Magician?

Now he just had to guess where her other arm was.

"Oh, and next… Th-The tile on the top right corner!"

The tile turned over and on it was a male's leg.

Not the Magician's…

Definitely not.

This leg belonged to the Magic Gunman.

Didn't it?

"Uh-Ahh…"

"Oh too bad." Ammit laughed, "I guess you're not good at this sort of thing."

"How can I be good at something that's all luck?" The mage sighed, "I couldn't be good at that without selling my soul to fate."

"And we wouldn't want that."

Pokii glanced over to the board, "What's going to happen…?"

One of the tiles, the Magic Gunman's leg, them disappeared from the board.

"Huh?" The monster trio gasped.

"It's gone!"

"Hah, yeah." Ammit made a prideful sneer, "Make a wrong match, and one piece will be taken off the game board. Better complete the Beast Tamer quickly or… He may be gone forever."

The monsters exchanged glances, as White Mage bit his cheek.

This wasn't good…

If any of Yugi's tiles disappeared, there would be no chance of getting him back.

But that wasn't possible, was it?

If Yugi was lost…

He had to be found somewhere.

Just what was Ammit going to do with the missing pieces?

"Continue."

"Oh, okay…" Mage went onto focusing on his next move. "Next open the tile in the bottom middle."

That tile opened, showing the head of the Warrior.

"That's-!" Paffii jumped up.

"The Warrior, yeah!"

The mage gulped, "He might be the next to go… Open the lef-right middle tile."

That tile turned over to the Warrior's torso and both tiles disappeared.

"What? Did I get them…?"

Ammit turned over to where the body of the Warrior appeared right behind her.

The head was attached to the body with only the limbs severed.

"We did it!" Pao jumped, kicking his ankles together.

"Don't be happy, we're not done yet!" Paffii rolled his eyes.

"Well, sorry for being excited for seeing a familiar face."

"Apology _not _accepted!"

The two monsters giggled as Pokii sighed.

"Hee." White Mage looked back at the three, happily.

If he got the Warrior's legs and arms then that would be a full body complete and ready to be revived.

* * *

><p>Thief King stormed down the hallway.<p>

What was Ryou thinking, bringing back the heroes after all that effort put into killing them?

He knew where the bodies were being kept…

So if the mage wasn't there already, that's where he would eventually end up.

Talk about annoying.

He was smart when he had the bodies taken apart.

That would buy him all the time he needed to find them.

"Hey, you."

"Hm?" A servant quickly bowed, seeing who it was.

"Did ya see where Mage went?"

"Oh… The White King? I saw him earlier."

She glanced around, thinking of where she last saw them.

"To the west, I think."

"Gotcha." Akefia continued on past her.

He blinked as he walked past a floating leg. "The hell…?"

* * *

><p>As the game progressed, pieces of the Warrior and Magician were found.<p>

The magician's legs recovered in one turn…

And the Warrior completed in the next.

They were yet to see any part belonging to the Beast Tamer.

Ammit lounged coolly, watching the game play out.

And so far things were going well.

But…

"Hurry up and find our master!" Pao called out.

Easier said than done.

White Mage sighed, taking his next turn.

Would he be lucky this time?

"Uhm, turn over the two diagonal inside corners."

The tiles turned over reveling...

The Beast Tamer's head.

White Mage grinned and the monsters jumped up and cheered.

Wait…

What about the other tile?

It was the Magic Gunman's torso.

"A-Ah…!"

It was the Beast Tamer's head that disappeared.

"No! No! No!" The monsters each screeched, realizing what had just happened.

Ammit chuckled, "That's too bad. I guess this means I win."

"…Witch!" Pao cast a gust if wind in an attempt to hurt her.

The devourer simply swatted it away with that grin of hers. "But aren't you glad that I helped you?"

"Help?" Paffii growled, "All you've done is make things worse!"

White Mage gulped, "Well, she did help us put two bodies together."

"So? Did we get Master back? No! I bet this whole game was just some sick joke!"

"Yeah…" The jackal monster mumbled, "Ammit didn't even want to help us earlier."

"Heh, and you don't care about the two heroes that I did help you restore?" Ammit tilted her head.

Pao stomped his foot, "Of course not! Now what did you do with Master?"

The hybrid monster cringed…

"What makes you think I did anything with him? What else could I do… He's dead-"

"But don't you want his heart?" White Mage exclaimed.

The mood of the scene changed instantly.

"…Yes."

"…"

"You could call me a greedy creature, always wanting what I can't have… But I want the Beast Tamer's heart." A growl, "He lost his game with me, and so his heart belongs to me."

A crazed look came over the devourer, sending chills down the pawns.

"Uhm… Maybe we should go." Pokii whispered to his dragon companion.

"I was just thinking that."

It didn't take much to send the three monsters scurrying out the door.

White Mage froze after realizing he'd been left all alone.

U-Uh oh…

Ammit's head twitched towards him with a sudden, angry look on her face.

"…Wait for me!" Against his better judgment, the mage sprinted over and grabbed the two rescued corpses, before somehow avoiding being swatted at.

The devourer hissed as he ran out the door, and lunged after him.

Well, what could be more fun than a game of chase?

* * *

><p>"Did we lose her?" The three monsters stopped to catch their breaths.<p>

They jumped when they heard a voice from down the hall, slowly becoming louder.

"Waaaaaaaaaaait!" White Mage was running as fast as his little legs could carry him…

With Ammit hot on his tail.

"Aiee!" The monsters got back on their feet, only to be knocked over and landed on.

Mage blinked. "…Oh. You waited for me!"

The pawns panicked when Ammit pounced right at them. And managed to get out of the way just in time.

"Let's go, let's go!" Pao screeched and ran forward, followed by the others.

* * *

><p>Only now had Ryou really noticed that something was going on in the game world.<p>

"Hm?" He shook his head and looked to see what was going on inside of the palace.

…The Devourer?

What was she doing?

One thing was for sure; it wasn't good.

* * *

><p>"Where do you think our master is…?" The monsters took a sharp turn and Ammit slid right into the wall.<p>

She hissed and continued the chase.

Paffii laughed, "The most evil place in the palace, of course! …The White King knows where that would be, I bet."

White Mage twitched.

"See?" The jackal gave a cackle as he ran, "So where is it?"

"Uhm… You don't mind sewers, do you?"

* * *

><p>Thief King blinked when he heard voices coming from the hall.<p>

"Hey…"

The heck?

When he looked down the hall, Mage and the hero's pets ran down towards him, carrying two bodies with them.

"_-Get out our way!_"

As the group ran past, Thief King grinned and pulled the mage back, "And where do you think you're going with the heroes?"

"…Akefia? I don't have time for you!"

The thief rolled his eyes, "Well, no need to hurt my feelings."

White Mage panicked when Ammit turned the corner from down the hall and smirked.

"Lemme go now!" He pulled at the thief's arm.

"First tell me what the hell you're doing with the heroes! Don't think I'm going to let you-"

Ammit laughed, lunging forward to attack the two kings.

"Eep!" Mage quickly pulled out his staff, "Shining Shield!"

A barrier appeared and the Devourer was sent flying.

"…" Akefia slowly turned around to see her hit the wall. "…W-Well dang."

Pao was already a ways away, "What's taking you so long? Hurry up!"

"I have to go!" White Mage managed to escape the thief's grip and continued down.

"Hey, where do you think you're going?"

* * *

><p>When the two kings caught up with the monsters, there still wasn't much time for explanation between navigating through the palace and trying not to get killed.<p>

Ammit cackled, enjoying herself.

Sooner or later she'd get them and they would never find the Beast Tamer's body.

She leaped up in front of the group, blocking their way down the corner.

"Yipe!" Pao tumbled over, soon being tripped over by Paffii.

White Mage quickly turned to the side and gave an excited grin when he saw stairs. "Over there!"

While avoiding another sudden attack, he got the others to follow him and ran down the staircase.

Ammit growled when the misfit group of kings and monsters made their way into the wine cellar, and she jumped right down after them.

* * *

><p>Akefia decided to confront the Pawn Spirit again. "Who said Ryou was allowed to undo all our hard work, anyway?"<p>

Mage grumbled, "It wasn't hard work, you had fun the whole time."

"Yeah, well, fun that's gonna go to waste. Why the hell would I want those brats to come back just to get in my way?"

The little king sat down by the secret door leading to the sewers, pulling at the handle.

Was it always so heavy?

"Master knows what he's doing! He has a plan."

"A plan, huh?"

White Mage huffed, "Master doesn't want Beast Tamer to hate him, so he'll find a way to make everyone happy."

"You know that's impossible, right?" Thief King crossed his arms.

The mage was about to say something when Ammit pounced on him, crashing down through the secret door and taking him with her. "Aiee!"

"White King!" The monsters ran over to the scene of the crime to look down.

* * *

><p>"Ohhh." White Mage sat up rubbing his wrist.<p>

After a fall like that, he was glad to be made of clay.

Looking to his right, Ammit was laying on her side.

Was she hurt in the fall?

"Hey!" He could hear Akefia call out, "How many bones did ya break?"

White Mage raised an eyebrow, "I'm okay if that's what you mean."

He couldn't help but wonder if the devourer was all right.

Crawling over to her, Mage hesitantly pulled on her mane. "Miss Devourer?"

"Eep!" He jumped in his skin when Ammit made a low snarl and glared up at him.

Falling back, he rubbed his head and looked over into the water…

Where two completed bodies floated.

Two bodies, including the Beast Tamer.

White Mage grinned, "I found them!"

* * *

><p>Ryou had been watching the whole event take place.<p>

He beamed and gave a cheerful laugh.

Tristan looked so funny just floating there!

He almost couldn't bear to save him.

But now he could bring Yugi back.

Ryou smiled as a nostalgic feeling came to him.

Yugi…

Yugi was the only person who would understand the reason why he did what he did.

* * *

><p>"Akefia, come down I found them!" White Mage giggled.<p>

Thief King exchanged glances with the monsters, "Why're you telling me this? I don't want them back!"

"Just come down!"

* * *

><p>The four bodies of the heroes were laid by each other in a row, similar to what Ryou had done in the real world.<p>

White Mage winked to the monsters and took his staff out.

Akefia crossed his arms with a small pout. "Just letting ya know that I hate you for this."

The mage stopped for a second.

He ran over to the thief, giving him a little hug and went right back to what he was doing.

"…Fine, dislike."

The mage managed to pull off something like a smug grin.

Well, it didn't look as smug as he pictured it to be in his head.

"Don't just stand there!" Pao stomped his feet, "Hurry up and revive our master!"

"Oh, sorry." The White King looked back at Ammit who still laid there and took a deep breath. "Okay, here we go!"

White Mage raised his staff into the air calling out; "Revive! Luonazun!"

Thief King, along with the monsters, covered their eyes to shield them from the flash of sudden light that seemed to come out of no where.

It was blinding, and almost painful.

"U-Uhmgh…" The heroes slowly gained cautiousness.

Akefia stood there for about a half a minute before his eyes adjusted back to the darkness of the sewers.

The first thing that he saw was the three monsters tackling their master.

"Master! Master! You're alive!" Pokii cheered.

"We saved your butt!" Pao laughed.

The Beast Tamer simply stared off into space, thinking back to what happened.

"My head…" Magician massaged her skull.

"I remember…" Magic Gunman glanced over to the Warrior.

The Warrior sat there glaring at the mage. "You."

White Mage blinked, pointing to himself. "Me?"

Warrior shot up like a rocket…

Wobbling on the spot until he got his balance.

He pointed his finger up as if to say something until he caught sight of the King of Thieves. "…_**You.**_"

Thief King snickered, "You look happy to see me, weakling."

"O-Oh you shudda—!"

Beast Tamer grabbed a hold of the Warrior's arm, slowly and steadily pulling himself up.

Warrior's face softened right away, "Uh, you okay Yug'?"

The shorter pawn held his head, "…Bakura?"

White Mage smiled, "Master saved you!"

Beast Tamer gave the little king his attention, "Bakura saved us?"

The mage could hear Akefia mutter something angrily and his smile only became wider.

* * *

><p>The mood of the moment quickly changed when Ammit pulled herself to her feet, "Beast Tamer Yugi…"<p>

The pawns all jumped in a fit of fear.

"I remember that voice." Beast Tamer held his head.

"I see you're awake now…" The Devourer hissed, taking a step back and lunging forward to attack them.

"Ahh!"

"Uh oh!" White Mage ran in front of the pawns.

He had to protect Master's friend!

"Shining Shield!"

A magic barrier appeared around them and sent Ammit flying into the wall.

She growled and pounded her claws into the barrier, hitting it over and over.

"A-Ah," White Mage gulped, "I used a lot of magic points reviving the heroes, and I don't think I can keep my shield up for very long!"

Beast Tamer stared at the Egyptian demoness.

He wasn't sure if he had been dead or asleep…

But all of the while, he constantly heard the angry voice of the devourer.

* * *

><p>Ryou grinned.<p>

The heroes were back!

Yugi was back!

And now all he had to do was get rid of Ammit…

He took out his and Yami's possessed dice…

And dropped it down, getting a super critical. "Let's kill the devourer, Yugi!"

* * *

><p>After one last strike, Ammit broke right through the shield.<p>

She tossed Mage out the way and leaped right for Beast Tamer.

The little hero should have been afraid, but he felt a sudden burst of power flow through him.

Did the Pharaoh get a super critical?

"Ammit…" Beast Tamer raised his arms, "Please leave me alone!"

"Training hand! Jet Stream Punch!"

The large glove appeared over him and was mercilessly thrown right through her…

* * *

><p>Ammit, torn in half, then faded away from the game world forever.<p>

* * *

><p>Ryou held his ring up in the air, "Okay, now let's see how much of a 'master' I am when it comes to the Millennium Ring."<p>

And with that Yugi and his friends, minus Joey, awoke in their own bodies at long last.

After taking out the two king's pawns, White Mage jumped out of his host and hugged his master's leg.

As Yugi slowly opened his eyes, he looked up to see the Ring Spirit's host. "…Bakura?"

Ryou smiled at his dear friend, "Welcome back."


	18. The Day Yami Won

_"…Bakura?" _

_Ryou smiled at his dear friend, "Welcome back."_

* * *

><p>There was a moment of silence as the three former heroes stared at the boy.<p>

Ryou Bakura made a small frown, glancing down to the model.

He couldn't imagine how Yugi was feeling.

But at least he was doing the right thing, wasn't he?

"Master?" White Mage Bakura tilted his head.

"Ah… I suppose I'm sorry for all that."

If anything, Ryou was just relieved that Joey's body wasn't there.

Yami really knew what he was doing when he took Joey's soul as bait.

Even though he had just saved them, he knew the blond would only cause more unnecessary trouble.

He blinked when Tristan began to laugh.

"What's so funny?" Ryou crossed his arms.

The tallest boy walked up right to his face, flicking his forehead, "How many times did we tell you not to be so polite all the time? You're the one who killed us. Just 'cause you saved us right after doesn't mean a thing. You not i_that_/i sorry. So stop saying it."

The white-haired host stood was silent for a moment before muttering; "…Fine. I'm not sorry at all. I don't regret anything that happened during the game. Not a single thing."

Yugi scratched his head awkwardly.

He felt rather funny.

Like something was missing…

Though at the moment he just couldn't think of what was gone.

Tea wasn't even paying attention to what was gone.

Everything was so confusing and her head hurt.

She felt… Much less free.

Whatever that weirdly worded thought meant.

* * *

><p>Tristan looked back to his two friends, "Then why'd you go through all that trouble just to save us?"<p>

Ryou smiled, "Well, you're my friends. I had to save you for my own sanity."

"Your own sanity, huh?"

"Mhm. But I did have fun. I had a lot of fun. If I ever have the choice, I'll kill you again."

He glanced to Yugi, who had that more innocent look about him.

"Bakura?" He blinked.

Ryou smiled, "Yes?"

"I don't understand what you're saying."

The ring's host giggled.

Of course Yugi wouldn't understand quite yet.

How could he?

Of course, one day he would.

One day Yugi would understand the joys in such an awful thing.

"Yugi… I would kill you again if I had the chance." Ryou repeated, "I'd bring you back. It's hard to think of things without you. I'll bring you back just to kill you again. And again."

An odd look came over the smaller boy's eyes.

Not quite 'frightened', just odd.

It wasn't the words, themselves, that scared him.

But what could make his friend want to say those words?

He simply couldn't understand it.

Ryou could only smile as he managed to confuse his friends.

* * *

><p>It even surprised himself.<p>

A few hours ago he would have never said something like that.

He may have thought it, but he never would have said it.

Not so casually.

But something...

That game changed him somehow, didn't it?

Not that there was a problem.

Ryou felt so happy!

* * *

><p>Thief King Bakura, who leaned against the wall, grinned as he listened to the conversation.<p>

White Mage made his way over to the thief, "Master's being really weird."

A shrug, "What's so weird about it? It's about time Ryou started showing his true colours."

"Master actually means that?"

Akefia grinned.

The mage leaned back with him, "Unbelievably weird."

* * *

><p>Ryou wore an odd smile on his face as he led the group of friends to the door.<p>

Oh how he couldn't wait to get some sleep.

He opened the door, peering out into the hallway.

"Uhm, Bakura?" Tea placed her hands on her hips.

"Hm?" The host blinked, "It's awfully late, you know."

"Yeah, but-"

"I suppose you don't feel tired at all, but I'm exhausted…"

"What did you just say to Yugi?"

As Ryou absentmindedly played with his hair, he found himself smirking. "You didn't hear? Ah well, I suppose that means you weren't meant to know."

* * *

><p>White Mage stomped the ground when Thief King went off, "Where are you going?"<p>

"Relax, I'm just going to get something."

Akefia went over and took the puzzle with a grin.

* * *

><p>"Bakura, what did you tell him?" Tea continued on with the topic.<p>

"It's okay." Yugi pulled on her arm.

"What? No it's not!"

"It's okay... Really." The boy repeated.

"Yugi…"

Ryou's smirk quickly disappeared and he sighed, "I was hoping the game would turn out differently than that… At one point I even had an idea for an entire ending. You really did deserve a more dignified death."

Yugi smiled, while holding his chest without really realizing it.

He slowly made his way out the door, soon followed by his more confused friends.

"Bakura?"

"…Yes?"

"Will you be in school tomorrow?"

Ryou smiled, "Definitely."

The shorter boy giggled and started down the hall.

Tristan gave the host a strange look and then he and Tea chased after their friend.

* * *

><p>Ryou watched them, happily.<p>

Akefia laughed.

He went over and tapped the host on the shoulder, then dangling the puzzle in front of him, "For you."

"Oh!" Ryou took it from him, jokingly poking it, "Hello Pharaoh~"

* * *

><p>Not too long ago Ryou had been terrified of the Pharaoh.<p>

But now…

Now he just seemed like a toy.

As if he had never been a threat in the first place.

What had he been so afraid of before?

He couldn't even remember now.

If the Pharaoh was still alive in there, he was completely helpless~.

* * *

><p>It was then that Ryou could hear Yugi down the hall.<p>

"Wait… Wh-Where's the Pharaoh?"

"…Bakura!"

Ryou giggled madly and slammed the door, locking it.

In only seconds Tristan and Tea were both banging on the door.

Such a noise at this ungodly hour?

He'd have to expect a talk with the landlady soon.

As the friends shouted and knocked, Ryou and Akefia burst into laughter.

Thief King grinned in amusement, "I think they forgive you."

* * *

><p>It felt like they would never leave.<p>

In the end White Mage had to cast his hypnosis spell in order to get them to go.

After finally deciding to see exactly how he used it in the first place.

It was just as well that the mage's powers seemed to be extremely weak in the real world, or the group of friends would have been under the spell for who knows how long.

Ryou expected to be slammed with questions and demands the next day.

"You know you don't _have_ to go to school tomorrow, right?"

"I know. I want to. …It's not exactly good for my grades if I'm gone for too long."

Glancing down at the puzzle, he let out a long yawn.

"Master, you should go to bed now." White Mage bit his finger.

A giggle came from his master, "Mmm, gladly."

"I can wake you up late and then you can go to school at lunch!"

"Oh…" Ryou placed the puzzle on a shelf, "Yes, that would be nice."

White Mage beamed in approval and grabbed his master's arm, then pulling him out the room, "Good-night Master!"

"G-Good-night."

* * *

><p>The moment Ryou was gone; Thief King snickered, scooping the mage up with a cheer, "Woo! The Pharaoh's finally gone, those brats are taken care of, and now I think Ryou and I finally see eye-to-eye! Hah hah!"<p>

The mage scowled, "I don't like Master this way."

"Oh lighten up. As of now things are gonna start getting even more interesting!"

"I'm just worried about what will happen in school…"

Akefia had a plan for that, of course, "We'll both just go with him. We can play more tricks on that warrior."

"I've never gone there with Master before."

"Trust me, it's boring as heck. …But we'll have a little group of brats to have fun with!"

"But then they'll miss the lesson."

"So? Another victory for Ryou."

The Pawn Spirit grinned in amusement, "Master will be the smartest one there!"

"Then he'll be smart _and_ pretty."

* * *

><p>As the two spirits began plotting out the entire school day, Ryou slowly got ready for bed.<p>

When he came out of the bathroom dressed in his nightgown, he was somewhat surprised to see Yami there.

"Ah, hello." He blushed.

The Yami Bakura grinned, looking through a book that had been lying there open. "That was rather well done, Landlord."

"Do you think so?"

"I wouldn't have said so if I didn't."

The boy smiled, "True."

He sat down on the bed and took a look at what page his darkness was on.

However he only got to read a sentence before Yami closed the book and moved so Ryou could lie down.

The host chuckled and got under the covers, "Good night, Yami."

He was rather surprised when Yami didn't leave.

Instead he lay down beside his host, resting his head on his arms.

"You're staying with me?"

A snicker, "Of course. …For the moment, I've done everything I need to do. Everything else will simply fall into place."

"Shadi will come in hopes of saving the Pharaoh and we'll get the key and scales from him." Ryou stretched his arms into the air, "And then I'll get the rod and necklace from Yugi."

The darkness made a pleased smirk.

He turned off the light, and then waited for Ryou to get comfortable before placing a well-welcomed kiss on his host's lips.

"Good night, Landlord."


	19. A Host's Yami

No one was really in control of the body right now.

For all Ryou knew, it was just laying there on his bed in an attempt to make it look like he was sleeping.

Which, in a way he was.

* * *

><p>The host and the spirit had been spending the day going through the darkness' soul room.<p>

Ryou remembered a time when he had been terrified of this place.

But…

The room changed since then.

It didn't necessarily give off a _better _feeling, it was just different.

It was a good type of different, but that didn't exactly make it better.

Rather it was just welcoming.

Everything that had been frightening before was now just a part of it.

And Ryou liked it much more now.

* * *

><p>While Yami sat in his throne, writing some things down on a sheet of paper, Ryou found himself reading through the many books and scriptures.<p>

He couldn't actually read them, but Yami had taught him to read parts of Egyptian and so he could understand the odd symbol.

"This has something to do with priests, doesn't it?" He pointed to a certain part of the page.

Yami glanced over to see what it was and nodded, "Yes. The pharaoh's council was built up from priests."

The host gave a little smirk, "That seems fitting enough."

* * *

><p>It had been a few weeks now since the dark RPG.<p>

Things with Ryou's friends appeared to go back to normal…

But he knew it wasn't normal.

Now it was like the only one who trusted him was Yugi, and…

Well, that didn't matter.

At least he tried not to think too much about it.

Shadi did come a few days after the RPG, and he certainly was in for a surprise.

Ryou wasn't even sure how they managed to pull it off.

Now they had five items.

Ring, eye, puzzle, key and scales.

Two more…

And then what would happen?

* * *

><p>"Say… Yami."<p>

"Hm?"

Ryou put the scroll away in its place, "I remember years ago when you were telling me about control."

"You still remember that?" The darkness chuckled, "To be honest I'm not even sure where I was going with that."

His host nodded, "I don't suppose I'll ever truly have 'control' over my life."

"No. None of us ever will. …You can't plan everything, Landlord."

Ryou smiled, "That's fine."

Control…

If there was one thing he knew, it was that there was no such thing as true control.

In a world were everyone had perfect control of their lives…

Well, that would just be boring.

Yami controlled his body…

But the darkness didn't have control over his own life, did he?

Ryou wanted to see the world Yami planned to create.

And see how much of it, exactly, goes along with his plan.

A world created by two unlucky people.

What world could possibly be more perfect than that?

* * *

><p>White Mage Bakura stood on a stool as he stirred his master's lunch.<p>

Pasta, how yummy!

Everybody likes pasta.

The Thief King Bakura leaned against the fridge and watched him, "Hey, make something for me next."

The mage gestured licking the spoon, "Make your own."

"What? Forget that!"

"Too bad then."

Mage smiled and gave another stir.

* * *

><p>It was a rather cold day.<p>

The windows were left open and so they could feel the air come in.

Which was okay.

Despite the cold, it was nice weather for a Saturday.

From outside you could hear the sound of birds chirping and the traffic.

Who could ask for a better day?

* * *

><p>Ryou came in talking with Yami, who sat down quite happily.<p>

The host laughed at Yami's comment and then brought his attention to the others, "…Ah, so I'm going to make a new avatar."

The two pawns blinked.

"A new one, huh?" Akefia said.

White Mage grinned in interest of his master's new little project, "Really? What will he be like?"

He was already looking forward to getting a new friend who he could side with him in his "battle against Yami".

Which wasn't much of a battle.

"I haven't decided yet." Was Ryou's answer, "I'll base it off of a card maybe."

White Mage finished his cooking and scooped it into a bowl, dropping some in the process. "I wanna help!"

The host took his plate happily…

Before the mage took it right back and brought it to the table himself.

He giggled.

At this rate he was going to forget what it was like to do house work!

The phone rang before he had the chance to take a bite.

"…Who?"

"It's probably your 'friends'… I suppose you'd better answer the thing." Yami snickered.

Ryou nodded and picked the phone up, "Yes? It's Bakura here."

"Good morning. It's me, Yugi."

The white-haired host's eyes brightened the moment he heard the name, "Yugi? Oh good morning!"

* * *

><p>Ryou almost felt sorry for Yugi.<p>

When he had gone to school the next day after the RPG, everything had gone just as he suspected it would.

Tristan and Tea never seemed to leave him alone, asking all the questions and giving all the demands that they never got to say the night before.

He could tell just by looking at Joey that he was angry.

Ryou had been glad that the thief and mage had gone with him.

Thief King spent the day haunting the former warrior with glee…

And Joey refused to go anywhere near Ryou.

Which was something to be happy about.

It seemed the only one who didn't even mention the game was Yugi.

When Ryou first came to class, the first thing that happened was that Yugi waved to him…

And Ryou waved back with a smile.

When the two friends talked with each other over lunch, Yugi had been so depressed.

The only thing he could talk about was his lost puzzle…

It was the puzzle that meant half of the world to him.

Gone without a trace.

He looked everywhere…

The pharaoh was gone.

* * *

><p>Ryou had simply listened, tilting his head to the side as the boy spoke.<p>

* * *

><p>Yugi knew damn well where the puzzle was.<p>

He had seen the boy lie to himself before.

He supposed that was a sort of side effect that being possessed for so long would have on a person.

If he ever lost Yami…

He wouldn't be so different.

* * *

><p>"Yesterday the stock Grandpa ordered came in." Yugi's voice sounded cheerful, "So we have all kinds of new games."<p>

"Really?"

"Yeah. There are even some RPG games that you'd probably like! Maybe you could come over and see if you want to buy one."

The host giggled, "Has this shameless advertizing worked for you in the past, Yugi?"

"Once or twice." A laugh could be heard on the other side of the line.

A sigh, "…Have you had any luck in finding the puzzle?"

Yugi fell silent for a moment, "…No. Not yet. I know I'll find him. I just don't know how."

Ryou snickered, "Well, you know there's no way you'll find it just by sitting around and hoping for a miracle. Tell you what. I'll come over with some money. I'll take a look at the new games and then I'll help you search for the puzzle. …Alright?"

Somehow he could just see a smile break onto Yugi's face, "...Okay. I'd like that Bakura."

* * *

><p>Ryou waited for the other boy to hang up before getting his wallet.<p>

"Are you going to Yugi's house right now, Master?" White Mage blinked.

"Mhm. …I'll eat when I come back."

"Oh. Okay."

Yami smirked, "Do you have any idea of where that puzzle could possibly be?"

His host shook his head with a laugh, "No. …Maybe all this fuss is for nothing and it's been with the other items this whole time."

"Well, then perhaps you'd better check. …Oh, and bring back a new game for us."

"Will do!"

The two of them laughed together and Ryou left for the door with a wave, "I'll see you in a couple of hours."

* * *

><p>Akefia grinned when the door closed, "Hah! Looks like we're finally getting the rest of the items!"<p>

The mage huffed as he put the pasta into the fridge, "What are we going to do with all of them?"

Yami cackled, "We're going to use them to revive the demon Zorc, of course."

"…Big brother Zorc?" White Mage blinked.

"Nah, a different one!"

"Oh. …I don't think I'll like that one."

* * *

><p>As the two pawns started up an entire conversation, Yami snuck off into the game room.<p>

He picked the puzzle up from its place and hung the rope down from his finger.

"Well Pharaoh… It looks like I've won."

It was easy to feel the Pharaoh's anger within the puzzle.

And what could be more satisfying than that?

Swinging the rope around his finger, Yami looked over Monsley Kingdom.

Soon the Earth would be as perfect as the little world that he and his Landlord created.

All of his hard work was going to come together…

And this world would be his and the Landlord's.

Soon.

* * *

><p>Was Yami looking forward to it?<p>

Of course he was!

After all he'd been waiting for this since the moment he saw his host.

After three thousand years the yami would finally have what he wanted most…


End file.
